The Kids Aren't Alright
by Hobbsy3
Summary: The team are in trouble when a shooting at a 24 hour school becomes personal and leads them to a hell they never thought they'd know.Now they have nothing but each other, and when their 'trials' truly begin, they may not even have that...Team fic, set in season 6...rated T/M Lots of angst! Please R and R! Now complete so please please read!
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

**Well, my first proper CSI fanfic- the other being a cross with New York in the New York archive. This will be very violent and angst, and maybe a little graphic, so if that's not for you, then please don't read. The prologue is quite short but it is only a prologue, just a little taster! If you like it please leave a review. If not, constructive criticism is nice but no flames please! **

Sara screamed. It was her worst nightmare. She didn't know where Nick was. She didn't know where Greg was. Or Warrick. Or Catherine.

All she knew was that Grissom would probably be sat completely clueless in the A/V lab, where she assumed he had watched the last broadcast. Warrick's beating. He knew she was in trouble.

He just didn't know how to find her.

"Don't scream. Not yet." A male voice whispered in her ear. Close. Too close, too close!

Sara felt her pride disintegrate as she began to beg. "Please! Please! Please don't do this!"  
She whimpered softly as the owner of the voice clambered into the bed she was tied to. "Please, please."

"Manners will get you nowhere, Miss Sidle. Remember what happened to Stokes?"

_Blood. Blood everywhere. Nick, moaning. Lying in the blood. His blood._

"He's watching this. Oh, they all are."

Eyes widening in horror, Sara watched as the man un buckled his belt and pulled off his clothes in about five seconds flat.

"NICK!" She screamed. "WARRICK? Greg, Cath, oh god, help me! SOMEONE HELP ME!"

The man just chuckled as he gently pushed up her t-shirt. She sobbed as the soft fabric left her body, and slid as far as it could go up her arms. When he pulled out a knife and sliced the fabric right off, she swallowed and started to struggle. Her hands and feet were each handcuffed to a bed post. She was in the most vulnerable position she thought she had ever been in. And she hated it. Her face set in stone as the man removed her bra, trousers and pants. She had stopped crying. It wasn't helping, and it wasn't her thing.

"Aw, have you stopped caring that two of your boys no longer breathe?" The man crooned, and Sara's heart dropped twelve stories.

_Two are dead? Oh god, who? Nick? Greg? Or Warrick?_

Tears pricked at Sara's eyes and the man nodded to a man with a camera as he pulled on a ski mask.  
"Hello, Dr. Grissom."

_Grissom? Oh, god..._

"Haven't you always wanted to see this, doctor? She is rather stunning."

Grissom's voice crept through the speakers of a laptop somewhere to Sara's right.  
"Please, let her go. Leave them alone. I...I'll do anything, please, you got me, you got me. Don't-"

Sara's heart lurched at the hopelessness of the tone of his voice when Grissom was interrupted.

"Ah- I don't think you have, besides I am a psychopath, remember?"

Imagining Grissom's face as his own words were thrown back in his face was easy for Sara. Silently, she promised that she wouldn't cry. She would be strong for Grissom. Nothing however could stop her heart and breathing racing at the speed of light as the man clambered on top of her.

And then it began.

_Hell, agony._ Sara's gasps betrayed her as the man plunged into her. The pain made her fail as everything she thought she had left was stripped from her as she screamed for help.

_"GRISSOM!"_


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**The first chapter is up right away. Unfortunately, most is just to set the scene and be a little filler, but it will get back to angst soon. Please review if you read this as I'm not sure whether or not to continue as writing takes a lot of time and I have a load of exams...**

**Either way, enjoy, read and review!**

_One week earlier._

Nick Stokes sat on the edge of his seat in the break room, his fingers flying over the controls of Day shifts new Nintendo Wii.  
To his right, Greg Sanders was muttering, "c'mon, c'mon..."  
To his left, Warrick Brown was swearing. "YES!" Greg screamed as his car crossed the finish line first. "Oh yeah!"  
Warrick scowled at him, only half serious. "You cheated, you little punk! Nick, I'll hold him down, you find the coffee!"  
"No!" Greg cried as Warrick pounced on him, grabbing him in a headlock. Nick began tearing through every cupboard, before looking at the newest CSIs smug face. He looked up, and sure enough, part of the tiled ceiling was slightly opened.  
"Aha!" Nick cried in triumph as he stood on the table and began to grope around in the ceiling.  
"Damn!" Greg moaned, still trying to pry Warrick's hands away from his head.  
"What are you guys doing?" Sara Sidle asked in confusion as she hesitantly walked into the break room.  
"Stealing Greg's Hawaiian Blue coffee." Warrick explained. "He cheated on Mario Kart."  
Sara rolled her eyes.  
"Yow!" Nick winced. "Damn it, my hand's stuck! I think it's- ow- caught between two pipes!"  
"Ha! Justice!" Greg yelled, until Warrick began rubbing his hair, "No, man, not my hair!"  
Sara sighed dramatically and climbed onto the table.  
"Hey, Sar, sorry but you're never gonna reach Nick's hand at that height."  
Sara stuck her tongue out at Warrick and placed her hands on Nick's shoulders. She suddenly jumped onto Nick's back, piggy back style and raised her hand into the ceiling, following his arm. "Yeah. That's stuck alright. On second thoughts, I got the coffee." She passed it down to Nick's free hand.  
Greg looked horror-struck. "You're supposed to be on my side Sara! What are you doing?"  
"Precisely what I want to know Greg," an irritated looking Grissom walked in, Catherine behind him looking baffled as she took in Greg in Warrick's headlock, Sara on Nick's back, standing on the table with both her hands and tugging on something where Nick's hand looked to be in the ceiling, and Nick's free hand protectively cradling Greg's coffee.  
Everyone, froze, all looking horrified. Catherine couldn't help but giggle at them-they looked like children with their hands stuck in the cookie jar. Grissom stared at her for a moment, then his mouth began to twitch up at the corners. Everyone stared at him incredulously as he tried not to smile.  
"Okay, children, playtime is over."  
Warrick instantly released Greg, and he began to run to grab his coffee. Sara gave one more tug on Nick's hand and it came unstuck, the momentum of the action sending them both stumbling backwards off the table and onto an unfortunate Greg, in the wrong place at the wrong time.  
Warrick, Catherine and Grissom roared with laughter that was quickly muted when Ecklie stormed into the room.  
"Gil! I just saw everything! What in hells name is your team doing?"  
Everyone froze again, but Grissom calmly said. "They were doing some team-building exercises."  
Ecklie rolled his eyes. "Sure, sure. I want there to be consequences for that sort of ridiculous behaviour. What if someone was visiting the lab? Just get those juvenile delinquents out of here and make sure they've reformed by the time they get to the crime scene."  
Nick could feel Sara's anger radiating off her below him, but they both knew how lucky they were that Grissom was in a good mood, and no one wanted to thank him by pissing off Ecklie.  
"Thanks, boss." Warrick breathed as Ecklie left.  
Three distinctive groans sounded from the other side of the room as Nick rolled off Sara and Greg.  
"Aw, that's gonna bruise." Greg and Sara moaned at the same time.  
"Serves you right," Grissom said matter of factly, extracting the coffee from Nick's hand. "As a punishment, no Blue Hawaiian for anyone for a week."

"A week!" Greg squeaked. "I'm a victim."  
"Who hid their coffee in my ceiling. Right, we have to get going, there's been an all hands on deck call- someone shot up a twenty four hour childcare for working parents. There are fourteen dead amongst those, four children. However, the place is massive, and according to witness reports, two gunman went to almost every room."  
Everyone sobered up, prepping themselves for the undoubtedly tough case they were about to get into.  
"When we get there, I want absolute maturity. The press is already smothering this one. I don't want any screw ups."  
Everyone nodded.  
Catherine paused, then she spoke. "Griss? Which...which school is it?"  
"It's called 'Noche y Dia', the founder is Spanish."  
"Oh, my, god!" Catherine breathed, fear flooding her eyes. "That's where I send Lindsey when my mom is out of town! My mom's in Barbados!"  
Warrick summed up everyone's thoughts. "Shit!"  
Catherine flipped open her phone just as it began to ring. "Lindsey?"  
The room held its breath.  
"Oh, thank god! Are you okay, sweetie? I know, I know. Baby, I'm on my way...yeah, sweetie I have to work the case... No, you don't have to stay... I'll bring you to the lab, okay?" Catherine looked at Grissom, who nodded. "I'll be there soon. Hold on, baby girl, I love you."  
She hung up.  
"Linds' okay?" Warrick asked, concern flooding his face.  
"She's a bit shaken up. Doesn't want to stay there."  
"Catherine, how about Greg takes Lindsey straight back to the lab, I think Wendy could use your help getting to know the DNA lab, and you can still work the case, we'll catch you up later Greg?"  
"Sure," Greg nodded. "I'd be happy to."

When they got to the large building, Nick's heartstrings tugged painfully at the sight of a couple of hundred terrified children huddled outside in their pyjamas. Some clutched teddy-bears like lifelines, others were older and desperately texting or calling on mobiles. They were one by one being interviewed by the police, the ones who had stood on the right of the building and were allowed to leave when their parents arrived.

"Mommy!"

Catherine turned to see a tearful thirteen year old Lindsey hurtle towards her.

"It's okay, sweetie. It's okay."

"Mom, they shot...they shot people right in front of me..." Lindsey squeaked, and Catherine looked her up and down.

"Are you hurt?" Lindsey shook her head. "Okay, Greg's gonna take you back to the lab, okay? I'll see you in a little bit."

Lindsey smiled slightly at Greg then bit her lip. Catherine sighed. "What d'you want?" she asked, not unkindly.

"Um, mom, Jenny's done too, but her mom can't pick her up..." Lindsey turned to look at Greg with big, green, pleading eyes, and pointed to a little lost looking child. "That's my friend, Jennifer Harley, and, she's here for a six day stay, because her Dad's on business in Hawaii and her mom was in a car crash and now she can't drive and Jenny's only six and no one has time to look after her and she's scared and she lives on the to the lab-"

"You want me to drive her home?" Greg predicted. Lindsey smiled, and Catherine rolled her eyes. Lindsey put her hand on Greg's arm.

"Please?"

Greg looked at Grissom, unsure of what to do. "Am I allowed?"

Grissom sighed.

"Please, Grissom!" Lindsey whispered and he shook his head.

"I must be going soft." He muttered. "Sure, Greg. Make sure she gets to the door, you speak to her mother...cover your back, and look after the little girl."

"Of course," Greg walked over to where the little girl was standing. He introduced himself to the teacher and told her the girl was going home with them. Then he crouched down. "Hey, sweetie. My name's Greg. Are you Jennifer?"

"Jenny."

"Okay, Jenny. How would you like to ride home with me and Lindsey over there?" Greg raised his eyebrows

Jenny considered for a moment. "You're a stranger..."

Greg laughed. "Good girl. But it's okay, see- I'm a CSI, like a police man. See, this badge? This tells you I'm with the police. I won't hurt you, your safe with me, I promise. Besides, you know Lindsey?"

Nodding, Jenny smiled and took Greg's hand. He thanked the teacher and took her and Lindsey into the car. The drive did not take long, and both girls were silent until Greg reached Jenny's house.

"Okay, Jenny, let's go. Lindsey, please wait in the car, and don't go anywhere!"

Lindsey rolled her eyes as Greg collected Jenny from the car and walked her up to her front door. Her mother opened the door after a few minutes, in a wheelchair. Her legs were skinnier than Jenifer's, and her appealing face was pale and tired.

"Oh, Jenny, thank god!" She gasped as the little girl flung into her lap. "Are you..."

"Oh, I'm Greg Sanders, from the crime lab." Greg straightened

"Where Catherine Willows works?"

"Um, yes. I'm just taking her daughter back to the lab for the evening, and so I was passing by. Jenny is a lovely girl. Ms. Harley, I know that Jenny was at Noche y Dia because your husband's out of town. Do you need help with anything?"

The kind faced lady laughed. "No, thank you Mr. Sanders. It's only because Jenny goes to school at Noche y Dia, and I cannot get her there. Thank you so much for bringing Jenny home. I wanted to drive but..."

Greg smiled and nodded, passing her his number. "I understand. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call."

Greg clambered back into the car, rubbing his chest absentmindedly.

Catherine stared in dismay at the body of the seven year old Spanish boy, Diego Gomez. Four bullet holes were ripped in his chest, and his eyes were still open.

"Dear God, what is the world coming to?" She murmured.

"I'm not sure that even God knows the answer to that anymore."

Catherine looked up at Warrick's voice. "It's...just...the girl in that room. She's...god, Rick! Lindsey was here! Someone shot at my daughter!" Catherine's voice caught, but she didn't cry. Her strong exterior remained so, but inside she was a mess. It could've been Lindsey on the floor, covered in blood. Catherine couldn't get the horrific image out of her head.

Warrick put a hand on her shoulder. "But it's not, Cath. It's still a terrible thing- a young girl is dead, but Cath, it's not Linds. And if you show how emotionally involved you are, Grissom will have no choice but to take you off the case. You're pushing it as it is."

"I know. I'm sorry, Warrick."

"Nah, don't be. It's only natural, Catherine, don't worry. Just, keep that guard up, okay?"

Catherine nodded and returned to her photos.

Nick snapped yet another picture of a bullet hole in the wall. To his right, Sara was trying to extract the bullet from the last one.

"I hate these cases. There's never a good reason. Did you hear Marisol Gomez when they told her that her son was dead?" Sara asked softly, and Nick winced. The devastated mother's screams shook them all up.

"I feel horrible, but part of me can't help but be relieved that it wasn't Lindsey. That Catherine wasn't the one screaming for her baby. There're still dead kids in the building, but I can only think of..." Nick shook his head.

Sara nodded. "I know what you mean."

Nick looked at her. "Sara? D'you think Cath will manage the case?"

Frowning, Sara replied. "I hope so. But, it seems unlikely. I think to an extent, we're all gonna get attached. Probably more involved than usual as well."

The man watching the CSIs grinned widely. "More involved than usual"

The Sidle girl had no idea how right she was, the man thought, whilst polishing his brand new gun.

**Review? Please?**


	3. Chapter 2

**Yay! I got reviews! Thanks so much for reviewing I messed up like three of my exams and your reviews had me bouncing up and down in the best mood I was in ALL DAY! Thanks- I promise I will try not to screw this up, there will be lots of Greg angst as well as team angst, and update as fast as I can...**

**Chapter Two**

Grissom stood aside as Dave took the liver temp for the little girl lying in front of him. Four years old. A bullet for every year of her life, Grissom thought bitterly.

"TOD is approximately two and a half hours ago. Fits with all the witness accounts." Dave announced.

Walking slowly over to the wall, Grissom frowned as he saw a bullet embedded in a bullet hole with what seemed to be a flag attached. As he drew closer, he realised it was a photo. Extracting it from the wall, he unfolded the crumpled paper.

A young blonde haired boy, about ten years old, beamed up at him from the picture. He was holding what looked to be a chemistry set up to show the camera, wrapping paper strewn around the background. The boy seemed very familiar but Grissom couldn't place him. Big brown eyes, messy blonde hair, big smile... Solemnly, Grissom bagged the evidence without being able to identify the boy. He'd work on it back at the lab.

There was not much quality evidence to find. Fingerprints-thousands of smudges from frightened little hands. Blood-an excess of it, a single, isolated drop that may belong to their killer. Bullets-456, to be exact, pulled from strong walls and weak bodies, some breathing, some not. And a single, torn photograph, like a flag. Sara, Nick, and Warrick met Greg in the break room to catch the younger CSI up to speed.

"There were a hell of a lot of bullets at that crime scene," Nick began, "And a miraculously small number of casualties."

"Implying that the perps are aiming to cause terror rather than kill loads of people?" Greg guessed and Nick nodded.

"Also, the lack of bullet casings seems odd. Not a single one was found at the scene." Sara frowned. "They didn't have time to clean up after themselves, and we have no reason to believe anyone at the school did...Maybe they had someone with that specific job? Picking up casings?"

"I now owe Mandy a list of favours the length of both my arms; she's stuck with all the fingerprints we found throughout the school, starting with the doors handles, frames and stuff. The witnesses were too afraid to check if the guys were wearing gloves." Warrick rubbed his forehead agitatedly.

Sara sighed and looked at Greg. "We're getting stuck. Did you find anything to do...?"

Greg nodded and pushed forward a sheet of paper. "I got Lindsey back to the lab and she crashed out in Grissom's office, so I made a few calls and got a certain Anya Frost, the schools night duty receptionist, to email me the last month of emails the school received, to try and see if there were any threats, and I got...nada. Absolutely nothing."

Warrick groaned. "So these leaves us with what to tell the families? We're sitting here twiddling our thumbs whilst their kids go cold and we wait for lab results?"

Ignoring Warrick, Sara spoke up. "Y'know, maybe our vics are connected. Out of over a thousand kids and staff at that school, only fourteen were killed. The autopsies haven't been done yet, but from the first glances at the scene, they all had four bullet holes to the chest. The wounded survivors only had bullets in their..." she fumbled with her case notes. "arms or legs. The vics seem to have been targeted."

"At first glance, it doesn't seem racial, Diego Gomez, seven, was Spanish, Emily Peters was Vegas bred and born, the four year old girl, Zara Rehman was an American citizen of Pakistani descent, and Joey Smith, six, was African American. Out of the adults that died, three were Hispanic, four were Caucasian American, two African American and one lady was from Israel. If it was a hate crime, against who? Kids?" Nick mused.

"I think," Warrick volunteered, "the killers are trying to make a statement."

"So what is it?" Greg asked.

War rick had no answer.

Grissom stared at the photograph. It was enlarged, and the boy's face was tickling his mind. Grissom thought that maybe the boy was related to someone he knew, or maybe it was a picture of someone he _did _know, but had never seen as a child. He didn't think he'd even seen a photo of a young Catherine, he would guess that she had looked somewhat like her daughter at that age, but thinking about it (although he doubted it), he possibly could have tripped over a young Catherine in the street and not recognised her at all. People change.

He studied the photograph. Cheeky grin. Blonde, messy hair. All that he could tell was that it was taken at Christmas, from the wrapping paper in the background and the proud way the boy held up the chemistry set.

God, this was killing him.

He heard footsteps behind him falter and stop, and an extremely confused voice query

"Grissom?"

He turned for a second, eyes widening in shock as he looked from the owner of the voice, back to the picture.

In his mind, the boy's body and face moved and grew, the boy gained braces, grew taller, lots the braces. His face matured, became more defined. His hair grew darker, longer, shorter, lighter, spiked, flat, until finally the boy had transformed seamlessly into the young man in front of him.

Now it made sense. But at the same time, it made no sense.

"Greg?"

The man watched through the screen connected to one of his many hidden cameras and laughed happily. Everything was working perfectly. The old man Grissom was none the wiser as to who he was, he wasn't stupid enough to leave _that_ many breadcrumbs.

Grissom did, however, have the first tiny piece of the puzzle that the man was putting together. The whole picture was still behind him, lying on the clipboard. The top left box of his 'mood board' was a split in half, and contained two pictures. One was of Sara Sidle as a happy looking five year old, with a sunny smile and that goddamn gap between her teeth. In the other half, there was another picture. Again, it was of Sara, but this one he had taken himself.

The glass and lacy curtains of her bedroom window framed the image of Sara in her underwear, crossing to the bathroom for a shower. He had laughed for days when he had realised that miss sidle thought she was save from people like him, as the only bedroom window she left open was backed into an alleyway, with only a brick wall across from it. He had had Santiago drill through the brick an place the camera there. The beauty of living across the street from one of your targets...

It had been worth the inconvenience of having Santiago in his home; Sara's attractive body stood out sharply up at him. Grissom would get that photo in due course. He had already received the first clue.

The two pictures of Greg Sanders beamed at him from next to Sara. The one he had taken from the email Greg's mother had sent him of the ten year old Greg with the chemistry set expressed the same happiness as the first picture of Sara did. And that is what infuriated the man. They had taken so much from him, his people. They had been happy. They _were _happy, now. They wouldn't be for very long. While the more modern, secret picture of Sara reflected almost everything he wanted to do to her when he saw her, Greg's would soon show a different desire of the man.

Another long distance photo, it showed his target laughing on the phone. The man took this photo off the clipboard and studied it. It was taken across the street from Greg's house by a woman in the man's team. It was a great shot; Yelira really was quite the artist with a camera.

After a few minor edits, the man was happy with the photograph, and slid it into an envelope. Then he pressed the envelope into the hands of the follower behind him, with firm instructions to post it in thirty two minutes exactly. He was satisfied with the next picture he would give the team. It showed perfectly how he would deal with Sanders in the final stages.

The photo he had taken of the edited picture leapt at him from his screen. Greg's happy face beamed at him from the screen, but with the ribbon of red around his throat, it have him chills down he spine-the very thing he craved. He flexed every muscle, imagining how it would feel when...

He was pretty sure they had picked Sanders right to be the first target. He was the most vulnerable, the most protected, but still the _easiest _to get to. The team would _love _his photograph.

"Greg?"

"Grissom," Greg stuttered, "Where...where did you get that picture?"

"Greg..." Grissom quickly regained his shaken composure. "I found this in a bullet hole at the crime scene, attached to a bullet."

"But, that's, that's me! My tenth Christmas, from the looks of the hair and the chemistry set..."

"I know. Who had access to this photo, Greg?"

Greg frowned. "What? Grissom, that's ridiculous. My mom emailed me that photo like last week! And nobody knows my email password, so-"

_"Bluehawaiiancsi123_." Nick announced as he walked into the room.

Grissom stared at Nick as Greg blushed and glared at the same time. "How in hell do you know that?"

"Oh, I have my sources. Namely the little post-it-note that fell out of your pocket the other day saying email address and password. Hey, why we talking about that, anyway?"

Blunt as ever, Grissom explained. "I found a photograph of Greg when he was ten at the crime scene."

The jovial, teasing look on Nick's face dissolved into concerned confusion. "Where?"

"Attached to a bullet."

"Damn." Nick massaged his jaw. "Attached to a bullet? That's a statement, man."

"What, _kind, _of statement?" Greg asked, swallowing, trying not to show the slight bit of panic he was starting to feel. "Will people think I did it?"

"No!" Grissom and Nick said at the same time.

"You were too busy cheating at Mario Kart, you have an alibi."

"But people might say I was involved..."

"Then why would you have left a photo of yourself at the crime scene? No one is jumping to conclusions, Greg. Calm down." Grissom soothed.

Sara and Warrick wandered in, and were quickly updated.

"Could it be a coincidence?" Sara hesitated, not wanting to think it could be more serious.

Warrick looked at Greg with pity. "What are the odds of that?"

Greg's eyes flickered from face to face. "I don't see how the perps could have got it. My mom never puts photos on any internet sites, she's a safety freak, my dad wouldn't do it behind her back...they must've hacked onto my email."

Warrick cleared his throat. "If Ecklie gets a wind of any of this, he's going to have a field day. It looks pretty bad."

"Greg, do you have any links with the school, any kids there, anything?" Sara asked desperately, but Greg shook his head.

"I've looked through all the staff and over half the kids. The only person I know there is Lindsey."

"Then it must be a link to the perps." Grissom mused.

Everyone sat in silence, each wrapped in their own thoughts.

Grissom was as always the one to voice the thing no one wanted to say. "It could mean Greg is some sort of target."

"Uh, Grissom?" Archie called from the hall. "Kid just came in with a package for you, it's stamped urgent, so Judy asked me to bring it straight to you."

"Oh, thanks Archie." Grissom took the thin package and sighed at the interruption. He opened the envelope, and out slid a single photograph.

Greg felt his stomach and his mouth drop open in harmony. He could feel Nick's shocked, scared eyes boring into his head, the brave stare trying to comfort him in some way. He could feel Warrick's sympathy radiating towards him, and as Sara put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed. He could feel her hands shaking.

Grissom just stared at the photograph in horror.

Catherine walked into the paralyzed room, and stopped at the looks on their faces. Confused, she glanced at the photo on Grissom's desk.

She gasped sharply, looking at Greg to make sure he was still there.

In front of her lay a picture of a laughing Greg.

Only different.

A ribbon of red adorned his neck.

It ran down his body, covered his clothes.

_A slashed throat._

Someone wanted to hurt Greg.

They wanted to kill him.

**There we go, Greg's the first target...just like my other story :)...the angst is coming people, it just has a little build up I promise! Got a phone call from school today saying they have moved my study leave a bit early-aka tomorrow, so I should update soon. I will try! **

**REVIEW, please! It makes my day! :)**


	4. Chapter 3

**Wow! Lots of (well, three!) reviews! Thanks sooo much, I take it that means continue...Okay, the angst starts here, in quite a long chapter if I do say so myself...**

**please read, enjoy and review!**

**Chapter three**

"Mom, I'm really, really bored..." Lindsey began, slouching into the lab expecting to be reprimanded and sent back to sleep.

Catherine ignored her, which Lindsey took as odd, so she walked up to the desk and glanced at the photo on the table. Quick as a flash, Grissom's hand snatched up the photograph and slid it under the table.

"What was that?" Lindsey asked curiously.

"Nothing, sweetie. Just a lead. I'm sorry Linds, what did you say?" Catherine sighed.

"I'm bored, there's nothing here to do and I can't sleep!" Lindsey whined.

Catherine sighed again. "Okay, kid. You want something to do? Go bug Hodges, just don't interrupt the cases! Stick to irritating the lab tech!"

"Got it!" Lindsey beamed, skipping out of the lab.

"Jesus, Greg." Warrick said after a moment.

Greg's voice sounded low even to his own ears. "Someone is gonna kill me."

"No, no, Greg!" Sara interrupted "They've just...told us that they want to."

Grissom watched the secret yet growing panic on the young CSIs face. He had to admit Greg was hiding it well.

"Greg. Look at me. I want you to stick around the lab awhile, okay? I'm going to have to take you off the case, but it's not because we don't trust you, okay? It's just to preserve the immunity of the evidence in court."

"So, what do I do?" Greg mumbled.

"For the moment, help Wendy. We have no other pending cases, and I don't want you going into the field at the moment. Precautionary principal. It may not be safe."

"Hey, man, its gonna be fine. We're gonna catch this psycho, and you'll be fine." Nick's strong voice willed Greg to believe him.

"I know, I trust you." Greg muttered. "I-I just don't know..."

Catherine put her hand on his. "You'll be fine, Greg. I'm sure that there's some explanation. I'm going to go back over the victims, see if there's any link between them, even if it's that they all wore the same pyjamas. I might rescue Hodges whilst I am at it."

Nick looked deep in thought. "Greggo, when was that picture taken?"

Greg stared the photograph for a second before the frown deepened further.

"I don't remember it ever being taken. It looks like my living room..."

"It looks like a stalker shot. So maybe if we can figure out who took the photo...?" Sara asked

"Hey, Greg, how about I go I over to your place, check everything's okay, grab another bag of coffee, some clothes and stuff, check no one's hanging around, in case you have to be here for a while..." Nick suggested, and, Greg nodded, if anyone was gonna rifle through his stuff, it may as well have been Nick who had been around before.

"Sure, if you think it will help."

"Have you received any threatening calls, letters, emails maybe?" Grissom queried as Nick waved reassuringly at Greg and left.

Greg shook his head. "No. This is a nightmare..."

It didn't take long for Nick to arrive at Greg's. He unlocked the door and walked inside. The place was a tip, but not much messier than normal. Nick walked into the living room, and stared at the spot he guessed the photo was taken from, across the street. A pretty blonde woman was sat in a sleek grey car, filing her nails. He frowned. He very highly doubted she took the photograph.

Finally, Nick made his way into the kitchen, the one tidy area of the house. It had always tickled Nick that whilst most slobs had filthy kitchens, Greg's was always pristine. Never even a dirty plate in the sink. Food and coffee were too important to Greg for his kitchen to be cluttered or contaminated.

A letter in a thick, cream coloured envelope sat on the table, the words "Stokes, N." written on it in red calligraphy. Confused, Nick snapped on gloved to be safe and picked it up. Surely Greg would have told him if there was something for him at Greg's. And since when did Greg buy expensive paper and do calligraphy for someone he saw every day?

He pulled out a pocket knife to slit it open, and pictures spilled from the envelope. His mouth dropped open. The ten pictures on Greg's kitchen table made his blood run cold. Five were of children at various ages. Children he recognised...

A small, dark skinned boy with an afro, arms wrapped around his grandmother...a blue eyed, curly haired boy holding the biggest spider Nick had ever seen, awe in his eyes...a little blonde girl, in a little cheerleading outfit the spitting image of Lindsey but with longer, curly hair and something different about her smile,...a grinning brunette five year old with a big gap between her front teeth...and a very familiar six year old boy with the two top middle teeth missing grinning widely at the camera from the top of a human pyramid made of seven siblings on a sunny ranch in Texas...

Damn, he thought, looking at the children. The team. Warrick, Grissom, Catherine, Sara, and himself. They already had to picture of Greg. Someone had accessed all of their childhoods. But the other pictures scared Nick more.

The were typical stalker photos.

Warrick, slouched on the couch with a beer, a massive grin on his face as he watched TV. Nick recognised the scene, he had been standing a few feet out of the photo frame, swearing as Warrick's final bet emptied Nick's pockets at the last Cowboys' game.

No one else had been there. No one took photos.

Grissom, in trackies and a baggy shirt, fondling a large boxer dog's ears, smiling contently. The dog and owner filled the whole shot, but it seemed taken by a zoom lens, and it was framed by green fuzz, indicating that the photographer had been hidden in a bush or something.

Catherine, caught in what looked like a moment of nostalgia as she drew her curtains, her arm around someone out of shot, from the height he guessed Lindsey. The photograph was taken at an upwards angle, again telling Nick that Catherine had no idea it was being taken.

Sara, oh god. Walking across the window that Nick _knew _to be across from a solid brick wall, in her underwear, grinning widely at something out of sight of the camera. Sara would never let anyone take pictures of her like that, not even a boyfriend.

Nick, sleeping on the sofa, a smile painted across his face. He knew for a fact that the photo was not taken by anyone he knew. It would have been rubbed in his face, and again, it was taken through a window, your typical stalker shot.  
_  
It's happening again, I'm being stalked, except this time it's not just me_, Nick thought, picking up a small piece of card.

_Dear Stokes,_

You severed your ties the way you severed my mouth

_A Rusty knife at your side a rusty life is your heart_

_My blood is your fuel and my fuel is your blood..._

_Laugh and the world laughs with you  
Cry and you cry all alone_

_We has eyes, we has ears,  
Whatever you say,  
We always hears_

We are who we are, Mr. Stokes. And we get what we want.

We want you. We want your team. We want your blood, Mr. Stokes. We are everywhere. These are just a sneak peak of what we will do. We showed you what will happen to Sanders. I am sure you can all use your imagination to figure out your own fates...

Have fun!

Nick's heart beat so hard he could have sworn it would fly out of his chest. He fumbled for his phone, but suddenly he felt a strong, toned around his neck, and another pressed a gun into his ribs.

Instinctively, Nick bucked and tried to throw off his attacker, but this whispered words in his ear stopped him.

"Those cameras can easily turn into guns, Mr. Stokes. The photos can easily turn to bullets. Those cameras and guns are trained on your team. And the gun in your ribs is also primed to shoot. Unless you want me to press my little panic button and tell my buddies to shoot _your _buddies, I propose that you stay very still."

Nick's body turned to stone. The voice was female, gentle. The threats sounded wrong in comparison to the voice.

"What d'you want?" Nick muttered.

"Warning." She said, lifting up his shirt.

"Wha-" Nick began, but suddenly a searing pain erupted on his back.

Screaming, Nick fell to the floor. He could feel burns scolding into his back as a burning heat source was pressed against his skin. It felt like he was being branded. Oh god, he _was_being branded! Desperately gasping for air, Nick squirmed under his attacker.

"Ah, ah. Maybe Warrick will be the first to die...you want that on your hands, Stokes?"

Swallowing hard, Nick gritted his teeth and shook his head. He barely heard her reply as she removed the heat, and began to kick his ribs with more force than he thought possible, so much that he thought there may be more than two people. At first he didn't fight in case the woman was telling the truth about the team, but pretty soon he knew it was from the pain.

Agony pierced every second. It seemed to be an eternity later when the woman stopped.

"Now, Stokes. I want you to scurry back to your little lab. I want you to tell them all exactly what happened. But no phone calls! No phone calls, no hospitals, no clinics...straight to the lab! I want you to try and catch me! But watch your back!" The lady sang, before Nick heard her leaving. It took him a few seconds to pick himself up, his strong muscles pushing his aching body off the floor, his back screaming in five different types of pain.

He knelt down to the floor again, this time to swab up some of the blood splatter on the floor. He was certain it was all his, but it was better than nothing. He swept the photos back into the envelope and made his way back to his Denali.

He never thought driving could be so painful. He felt ready to cry by the time he reached the lab. He sat in the car for awhile, trying to regain his composure.

The mood had lightened somewhat since he left, and everyone was sitting in the break room, laughing. Greg was the first to notice Nick.

"What did you find?" He urged.

Warrick had a different question. "Nick, what the hell happened?"

Nick closed his eyes for a second, and when he spoke his voice was filled with pain. "Greg, I made a mess in your kitchen, man..."

Greg frowned. "Nick you sound like you just-"

"Got the crap beaten out of you." War rick interrupted, sensing his best friend wouldn't answer a gentler question.

Sara walked into the break room behind Nick and sucked in air sharply. "Jesus Nick! What happened?"

"What?" Warrick asked, but Sara ignored him.

"Nick, the back of your shirt is covered in blood." She softly went to touch Nick's back and he winced.

"It's... mine. Where're Grissom and Catherine?"

"Right here, Nicky. Did you get any..." Catherine's voice trailed off at the back of Nick's shirt, inspiring him to take a look. The whole back of his shirt was covered in splotches of blood.

He threw the envelope down onto the table and winced at the jerky movement. "I found this on your counter, Greg. Everything inside I put right back. We have a problem."

Grissom reopened the envelope and stared in shock at the pictures, whilst Sara and Catherine peeled Nick's shirt off his back.

"I was looking at them when this...woman came up behind me, wrapped her arm round my neck. She had a gun to my ribs and said that they had guns trained on the lab and if I fought her, someone would die. That shocked me enough and gave her the chance to use-"

"A branding iron?" Sara choked at the sight.

"I think so, ow! What does it say?" Nick hissed as he tried to twist round to see the words on his lower back.

Sara didn't respond

"Sara? How...how bad is it?" Nick asked more persistently.

Speechless, Sara took Nick's hand firmly but gently and led him over to Grissom. She spun him round and Grissom had to finish. Grissom had to physically stop himself from wincing at the bright red burns, and the extensive bruising. He focused on his usual serene face, but even so there was no way he could not show the deep frown.

"Nicky, you need to go to the hospital. Or at least a clinic, that is a nasty burn. It could get infected." Grissom worried.

Nick frowned. "She told me not too. I didn't want anyone to get hurt cos I was a wimp."

Catherine felt a fond smile slide on her face. If anyone was going to end up in deep trouble through pure selflessness, it would be Nicky.

"Right, here's what is going to happen. First, Greg, you're back on the case. It would be hypocritical if I took you off and kept everyone else on. Second, I want everybody doubling up, Warrick, you're with Nick. Don't let each other out of your sight. Catherine, Greg, you two stick together as well, Sara, you're with me. I want everyone to very careful- no one leaves the lab without their partner, got it? When the shift ends, go home with your partner, I whoever's house is closest out of you and your partner, just _keep your weapons on you_ at all times. No one goes anywhere alone, or unarmed. Catherine, Lindsey should stay here unless you are going home. Does everyone understand?"

There was a general murmur of agreement from the other CSIs.

"Now, we can't tell Ecklie what is going on. He will undoubtedly pull us all of the case, but against my normal judgment I think we should, we have the right to know what's going on, and besides, I don't trust days to do as good a job. Here's what we're gonna do. Warrick, take Nick to the clinic, get that burn looked at, we don't want any infections settling in. Nick, that is nonnegotiable. Catherine, Greg, keep digging. Anything that links any of us to the school, specifically the victims. Sara, we're going to the precinct- some of the older students have agreed to talk to us and see if they know anything."

The man threw a chair against the wall. "Damn it!" he yelled.

They had found the envelope too early. Why the hell had Stokes been at Sanders' house in the first place? Now the order was all screwed up, and the CSIs were _all _on their guard. His mouth watered as he imagined how it should of been.

___It is about two days since the photos were sent. _A scared, shaken Sanders walks into his apartment and takes off his coat. He wants nothing more than to shower and go to bed, but his co-workers have told him to be safe, so after he says goodbye to whichever co-worker escorted him home, he double bolts the door and walks towards his bedroom, stripping off his clothes and dumping them around the floor as he goes. Now he is in only his boxers and he meanders tiredly into the en suite bathroom.

_That's when the man moves. _

_He steps out from behind the bathroom door, knife in hand, smile on face. Sanders' face twists into a horrified mask of pure fear as his mouth falls open in shock. The man walks forward and Sanders staggers back and starts to run to the door, screaming to his long gone friend. Sanders reaches the door with the man licking his heels, and begins to desperately wrench it open, only to cry out when he realises it's locked. _

_Next Sanders looks for his gun, his eyes like a hunted rabbit's. He lunges at the table by the door, and that's when the man's strong arms hook around his waist, and drag him back to the bedroom. Sanders starts to holler for help as he is thrown face down on the bed and his hands are forced together, secured with plastic. _

_The man whispers threats into the ears of the struggling boy beneath him, and gently forces the hypodermic needle into his neck. _

_The man listens in satisfaction to the boy's whimpers as his body went limp. _

But now, Sanders wouldn't return home. Nick was supposed to check on Greg the morning after he was kidnapped, _then _find the envelope. Thank god that Yelira was smart enough to give Stokes the warning. He would have to thank her later. Maybe she could have Warrick for a few hours...

The man growled as he realised that his fantasy was ruined. The Sanders boy would most certainly pay for Stokes' mistake.


	5. Chapter 4

**Thanks so much for my reviews! This chapter is quite long, and quite bitty, so I apologize in advance if it sucks, things will become A LOT clearer later on. I just don't want to show all my cards yet Please drop a review and tell me what you think...**

**Chapter Four **

"Warrick? C'mon man, talk to me. You seem pissed. What's up?" Nick begged, and Warrick looked at him as though he had just grown two heads.

"What the hell d'you mean 'what's up', Nick? God, this is so screwed! Nicky, you've just been busted up and..._Branded. _I mean, jeez, man. You'll have that scar on your back for the rest of your life, man. Nothing can make it go away. Ever." Warrick yelled in frustration and hit the steering wheel of his SUV, taking a short cut through a little used alley to avoid traffic en route to the clinic Nick frequented. "Look at you. You can't even touch your back to the seat without wincing.

Nick flinched at the venom in his friend's voice, although he did understand where he was coming from. "What does it say?

No answer.

"Warrick?"

No answer.

"Rick, what does it say?

Warrick just kept driving, staring into space, but at the use of his little used nickname his face softened ever so slightly, and Nick noticed.

"Rick, please." Nick's voice sounded broken. "I need to know...

Warrick painfully looked over at his visibly distressed partner. _Goddamn Nick and those puppy dog eyes..._he cursed.

He licked his lips, and opened his mouth, but he couldn't force out the words. He couldn't understand most of them, but the few he did understand were enough to terrify him. His mouth opened and closed like a fish.

"Rick?

Warrick sighed. "There are three lines of it. It's Spanish...

_Todo es culpa m__ía. Yo no merezco vida. Necesito morir de una muerte violenta ahora." _

Nick frowned deeply. "Oh...Damn it... How the hell am I gonna take off my shirt when I go home at family reunions in Texas?

Warrick snorted. "Trust you to be worried about your vanity. God...

"S'not that!" Nick protested. "My mom will freak, my nieces and nephews will screech at me for getting a tattoo and my siblings will give me stick for being beat up by a girl.

"A girl with a gun." Warrick mentioned, defending his friend from himself. He hesitated, before asking "What does it mean? My Spanish is limited-I can only make out about two words...

"_Everything is my fault." _

"Got that part.

"_I don't deserve life. I need to die a violent death now." _

"Shit.

"Exactly, man. Exactly.

As he glanced over at his friend, Warrick suddenly noticed something. He recognised that tone of voice, that look in the eye. "Hey, Nicky, this wasn't your fault.

Nick stared at him. "What?

"I don't care what it says on your back, it's not your fault.

Nick smiled half heartedly and looked at Warrick. "Ah, I dunno. It could be...Psychos do seem drawn to me. Maybe it's my amazing good looks and Texan charm..."

Warrick snorted and shook his head. "Sure, Nick, sure you keep telling yourself-"

"_WARRICK!" _Nick shouted, pointing at the road.

Warrick's eyes grew wide at the little boy calmly strolling into the middle of the road, holding a red helium balloon on a string. He slammed on the breaks, but the boy grinned and ambled towards the car.

"What the fu-"

Warrick swerved the slowing car as sharply as he could into a nearby parking garage. The car swept past the boy, missing him by an inch, and smashed into the wall of the garage.

Nick yelped as the airbag blew up in his face, forcing his aching back into the back of the seat. He desperately tried to deflate the airbag, coughing on all the dust.

"Hey...Warrick, gimme...a hand..." he spluttered. On gaining no response from his partner, he looked across. "RICK!

Warrick was slouched over the steering wheel, blood pouring from his head. His eyes were closed.

"Shit, damn it, Warrick, look at-ow!" Nick gritted his teeth against the pain as he unbuckled his seatbelt and twisted to see Warrick better. "Rick, c'mon man, don't pass out on me.

Warrick groaned, and Nick sighed in relief. "Warrick, man, open your eyes!

"Hurts like hell." Warrick grunted, pushing himself off the wheel.

Nick chuckled, and quickly stopped, both his back and his chest protesting.

"Did we," Warrick swallowed. "Did I hit that kid?

Nick shook his head. "Don't think so. I can't really twist at the moment, but I don't think so. Yowch, that hurts!

Warrick nodded. "The clinic is just at the end of the block. We can walk it, pick up the car later...

"No you can't." A soft voice chimed.

Nick and Warrick looked out of Warrick's window in shock. The little boy stood next to the window, barely tall enough to look in. The red balloon looked untouched, as it hung strangely still in the air. Even the wind did not seem to touch it.

Warrick looked at the boy. "Hey, kid, I'm really sorry if I scared you. You shouldn't be running around on the roads. I promise I'll pick the car up later. What's your name, where's your mom?"

The little boy blinked slowly and deliberately. "I meant you can't do _anything_ later. That's when you'll be with Acolmiztli."

Nick frowned. "Who?"

"Acolmiztli."

"Kid, where is your mother?" Warrick asked, anxious.

The boy smiled, and pulled a little tape recorder from a bag attached to his hip. He pressed 'record', and said:

"_Ön Veszteg, kurvanő fia szaros német, ittátok vérünket, ma isszuk ti véreteket." _

"What?" Nick asked ludicrously.

The boy laughed, a cold, strange laugh and stopped the recorder, handing it to Warrick.

As Warrick took it and stared at it, the boy spoke to Nick, "Acolmiztli is not happy you came too early. This is his message to you." The boy reached into the bag and pulled out a gun.

"Hey, kid, put that down!" Warrick demanded. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Please, man, you don't know what you're doing, put that thing down." Nick pleaded in a softer tone, so as not to scare the boy.

He needed have worried. The boy's face displayed no emotion , not even fear, as he pointed the gun a Warrick and pulled the trigger.

The balloon popped.

"So, you thought you might have some information for us?" Grissom asked softly, and Sara stared at the curious group of teens in front of her. One girl, Cady Parkinson, a tall, slim blonde in a cheerleading suit was perched on the top of a chair, her hands on the shoulders of a boy in the seat in front of her. Kevin Wildon looked like your typical 'nerd', average looking brown hair, geeky glasses and braces. Next to him sat Robbie Stone, a fidgety boy in a jeans and a baseball jacket, with sandy blonde hair, impressive muscles, and what Sara guessed was a cute smile. He was next to a pretty girl with straight auburn hair, Layla O'Shea, tanned skin and plenty of make-up. She somehow managed to pull of all the make-up without looking like a girl from Essex, but Sara was sure she was most definitely one of the popular kids. The same couldn't be said for the weeping girl she was holding hands with. Sara instantly recognised the Sophia Peters as an outcast, dark clothes, dark hair, dark eyes, though they were rimmed red from crying. The boy next to her, Brett Selkirk, was jiggling all over the place-hair spiking in all directions, blonde hair with brown tips on the spikes, a cheeky twinkle in his eye. The teens were polar opposites of each other.

For the life of her, Sara couldn't understand how these kids here hanging around each other without tearing each other apart.

"We think we may have a lead for you." Sophia, the outcast, hesitantly admitted, wiping her eyes bravely.

"But you can't tell the staff that we told you Cady gushed

"Or we'll get kicked out Layla continued

"Which would suck Kevin added

"Coz 'Noche y Dia Robbie chipped in

"Is the main place we are able to hang out..." Sophia lamented

"Without people judging us." Brett finished

Sara studied the kids for a moment as Grissom asked "We won't tell anyone. What do you know?"

All of the kids shifted slightly.

Brett swallowed. "We overheard something..."

"Something we never should have Layla admitted.

"We were snooping around." Cady sighed.

"Trying to find Kev's books..." Robbie explained

"Some of the jocks took them." Kevin added miserably

"And we heard a message being left on the answer machine as we passed Ms. Frost's office Cady's words spilled from her mouth

"It was a male voice, had an Irish accent. Sounded fairly young, maybe thirty?" Sophia mused. "So he said-"

"_'Anya, don't ignore me. Two weeks today, Anya. The wheels will be in motion; we will terminate those who need to be terminated. Then we can move in on the targets... Remember Anya, We has eyes, we has ears, whatever you says_ then he stopped." Brett noted.

"Then Anya picked up the phone, and said Layla began

"_We always hears_." Brett finished. "I have a glitch in my brain, doctors diagnosed when I was a kid; I remember practically everything I really listen to. Word for word, I swear that's what they said. Weird grammar and all."

"So you think Anya Frost, the receptionist had something to do with it?" Sara asked sceptically. She had passed the receptionist on the way in, nervously filing her nails behind the desk, her pretty brown eyes miserable, afraid, and grieving.

"Don't get us wrong Robbie started.

Sophia continued. "We love Anya."

"She's amazing, and always looks out for us." Cady elaborated.

"But we can't lie." Kevin said with conviction.

Grissom pondered their words for a minute. "So you heard this...conversation two weeks ago."

All six teens nodded.

"How long have you guys been able to finish each other's sentences?" Sara asked out of the blue.

Sophia narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

"Well, from what you're wearing, if you've just come before school, you don't look like the type of kids that usually hang around each other?" Sara asked, trying to keep the offense out of her voice.

"Here we go." Kevin rolled his eyes.

"Every time Layla sighed

"We go anywhere Sophia moaned

"School, clubs, parks, the mall!" Cady huffed.

"We always get funny looks." Brett raised his eyebrows.

"Everyone judges us. We're not supposed to hang out. I'm a 'jock Robbie's voice dripped with sarcasm.

Cady smirked. "Cheerleader."

"Popular." Layla sang mockingly.

"Geek," Kevin's tone was matter of fact

"Class clown." Brett wagged his eyebrows cheekily.

"Outcast." Sophia jeered.

"We've known each other since we could talk. Noche y Dia is where we met. Why should we stop being friends just because we run in different circles?" Cady said accusingly.

"I wasn't saying that. Finishing each other's sentences often sounds rehearsed, that's all."

"Go, you're such a hypocrite. I saw you at the crime scene, you and your friends. I bet you, I bet, that the darker haired white guy, Stokes or something. I bet anything he was a jock, or a popular maybe, he seemed sweet to the little ones. And the blonde woman? _Obviously _a cheerleader. The black guy, not sure, jock, maybe a geek? You, Mr. Grissom sir, I'm sure you were a 'nerd' no offense meant. The guy with the blond brown hair, I think the dark guy called him Greg. I doubt that you can tell me he _wasn't _a class clown. And you, Ms. Sidle. You were an outcast, weren't you? So why do you hang out with them? D'you always fight with _them?_" Layla spat angrily

Sara looked at Grissom, dumbstruck. Grissom just stared thoughtfully at each child, until Sara's next words shocked him out of the trance.

"I...I'm sorry, Layla. All of you. I apologize. I was a hypocrite, and I was judgemental. I didn't have the right to say what I said. I empathize with what you are going through, and I can't tell you how grateful I am for you coming down here. However, I am going to need a little more evidence before I can investigate Ms. Frost. I believe you, honestly I do. But a judge probably wouldn't." Sara's tone was sincere and serene, and Grissom gaped at her. He had half expected her to blow off back at Layla.

"I get it." Brett smiled sadly. "We're teenagers. Untrustworthy."

Sara nodded. "Unfortunately. Though, we wouldn't necessarily take an adults word any more than ours."

"You always do." Sophia muttered bitterly under her breath. As Sara looked at her, Brett slid his arm over the girls shoulder.

"Hey, you'll be okay, Sophy. We got your back." He murmured.

Cady sighed heavily. "Her foster sister, Emily, was killed."

Nodding, Sara continued in the same soft, controlled, voice. "So can you think of any evidence, anything that might help us? Something Ms. Frost may have been involved in? A link between the victims?"

Robbie was the one to answer. "Anya told us not to come in today. She texted our mobiles. We thought it was a prank, I mean, how did she get our numbers?"

Grissom leapt into action. "Would you all mind if we looked at your phone records?"

"I don't care how you get rid of the child, just do it! I want Lindsey Willows out of the equation. Now. And for god's sake, do it quickly." The man snapped down the phone, angry at Itzli for being so arrogant. However, Itzli wasn't named after the god of sacrifice for no reason, so the man was sure that he would find a way."

"Yes, Grissom. That's the only connection we could find. That's right, when their birthdays are right next to each others, Diego Gomez was going to turn eight in two weeks, the first of July. Then they follow on right up until Emily Peters on the fourteenth. Yep. I will, listen Griss, I have a problem, Lindsey's sick...No, as in threw up all over Hodges...don't worry about it, no evidence was contaminated...Gil, she's not well. I can tell when she's faking, and it's not now...Take her home? What about Greg...I thought you would need all hands on deck...You sure, Gil? Okay, I'll tell him."

Catherine hung up her cell and ran back into the break room where Lindsey was curled up, shivering in Greg's lap.

"It's gonna be okay, sweetie. I'm gonna take you home, and Greg is gonna come crash at ours for a while, okay? He...uh...his apartment is being treated for termite infestation."

Greg rolled his eyes, but inside, he was worried. Lindsey had seemed fine seven minutes ago, but after she went for a glass of water, she had plummeted downhill. She was burning up in Greg's arms, her skin felt clammy and sickly.

Catherine leaned over her daughter carefully to whisper to Greg. "Griss told you to get some sleep. You need it, haven't had a day of in a long while. The others can handle this for now."

Normally, Greg would protest, but, carrying Lindsey into Catherine's Denali (struggling more than he would have liked with her weight), he was quietly grateful. Catherine seemed like the person to have a comfy couch.

AS soon as they stepped through the door, Lindsey rushed into the bathroom to throw up, Catherine right behind her.

" Greg, feel free to crash in the spare bedroom! Second door on the left. she cried, closing the door behind her shaking and humiliated daughter.

Greg stared sympathetically at the closed bathroom door for a moment, before slowly dragging his way into the guest bedroom. He closed the curtains on the pitch black night and locked the door. He stripped off his clothes down to his boxers, and then cursed himself. Nick had never picked up the stuff from his house.

Ah, well, thought Greg. Tomorrow I can beg a shower off Catherine, and wearing those clothes won't kill me until I have time to change...

Greg sighed at stifling heat. Didn't Catherine have an air con? He lay on top of the blankets and pulled out his iPod and headphones from his bag which he had dropped next to the bed.

Turning his music up to full volume, Greg gladly blocked out the world.

Catherine pulled Lindsey's hair away from her face as she emptied her stomach into the toilet and murmured softly to her. Slowly, the vomiting ceased.

"There we go, Linds. It's okay, it's okay. You're gonna be fine, baby."

Pulling her sobbing daughter into her arms, Catherine was startled to here a click on the door.

She walked out to the bathroom door, and tugged it, only for it not to open. "Greg? This isn't funny!"

Catherine froze as she heard a snigger.

"_Greeeegggo? Where are you? It's not funny, Greg! Come out, come out wherever you are! __Acolmiztli wants to see you!" _

Catherine felt dread seep through her body. She grabbed her gun from her abandoned handbag and hushed Lindsey.

"Momma, don't leave me!" Lindsey whimpered, and Catherine put a finger to her lips.

She carefully looked under the door, trying to see what was blocking the way out, as it locked from the inside.

"Ms. Willows, if you value your daughter's life, stay in the damn bathroom." A snide voice called, and Catherine swallowed. Lindsey's crying started again, each sob breaking her heart. "We have come for Greg, and we get what we want. You make any noise until we're done, I will not hesitate to kill your daughter, then you, okay?"

Catherine moaned quietly in horror. Every inch of her screamed to warn Greg, but what could she do?

Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream erupted from the bedroom, and Catherine couldn't help it. She shrieked:

"_GREG!"_


	6. Chapter 5

**Hey! I'm not sure I like this chapter...bits I do, but some bits...well you tell me what you think! BTW all translations used in this story come from Google Translate, so forgive me if they're not quite right. Anything that is said in another language, like what the little boy said in Chapter Four will be revealed later.**

**Thank you thank you THANK YOU to C.H.W.13, Marymel, lotzalove, and greggo123, for reviewing loads and totally making my day! Thank you so much, this chapter is for you! **

**Anyways, **

**Read, Enjoy, Review! **

**Chapter Five**

"Grissom."

"Oh, Grissom, thank god!"

"Nick?"

"Yeah. Grissom, I'm at the hospital."

"I know, Nick, I sent you there."

"What? No! No one's even looked at me yet- that's not why I'm here. And you actually sent me to a clinic."

Ignoring Nick's weak attempt at humour, Grissom clutched his cell phone closer to his ear. "Why are you at the hospital, are you okay?"

"Warrick..."

"What? Nicky, what's going on."

Nick's voice was laced with guilt. "Griss, Warrick's in surgery. He was shot..."

"What! Where?" Grissom bolted upright.

"Shoulder I think."

"How?"

"A boy about three foot five shot him."

"What?"

"We we're on the way to the clinic and suddenly there was this kid in the road..."

Grissom listened in shock as Nick described in detail what had happened.

"...then I - I blacked out. When I woke up, there was an empty syringe sticking out of the side of my neck and Warrick was slumped back on his seat. I radioed it in, rode to the hospital with Rick... Brass secured the scene. He said he would call you, but I think he got waylaid by Undersheriff McKeen."

"Oh, god. How bad is Warrick?"

"Nobody is telling me anything." Nick spat bitterly.

The phone rang in Grissom's office but he ignored it.

"Okay, Nick, keep calm..."

The caller gave up ringing Grissom's phone and his answer phone started shrieking.

"Grissom-pick up your goddamn phone, Grissom, god, Jesus PICK UP! Gil I need you to pick up, we're in trouble, Greg's in...God, no, no! Don't! Don't take him! Greg! Greg! GREG! GRISSOM PICK UP YOUR F***KING PHONE!"

Grissom stared in horror at the phone.

"What's that noise, Griss?" Nick worried. "That sounds like Catherine, is she okay?"

"Nick, hold that thought, I just need to pick up my office phone for a minute."

"Sure thing boss."

"Hello? Catherine?"

"Oh, Gil thank god, you have to, you have to get here now! We're, we're in trouble and if I call the cops they'll kill Greg!" Catherine's mortified voice practically shrieked down the phone.

Grissom's blood ran cold. "Who, Catherine? What's going on?"

Catherine sobbed. "I'm... I'm trapped in the bathroom with Lindsey, Lindsey's really sick, I she's really cold and she's passed out... something's blocking the door, and there are people in my house and I heard a struggle and then Greg screamed... Not a frightened scream l, Gil, I think they really hurt him!"

Grissom leapt up out of his seat and began racing down the lab looking desperately for Sara, grateful for the new cordless phone in his office.

"Okay, Catherine listen to me, I'm just about to leave the lab, how many are there?"

"I... I don't know... at least five or six."

"Okay, Cath hold on, I'm on my way." Grissom hung up the phone and flung it into the passing DNA lab, causing Wendy to yelp in shock and lifted his cell up to his ear. "Nick, I am gonna have to call you back!" without waiting for an answer he snapped his cell shut, thanking the lord when he saw Sara in the break room.

"Sara! SARA! I need you to come with me, now!" he thundered

Sara, confused but unconditionally trusting her boss, stood up and followed him at a jog to the parking lot. "Griss, what's going on?"

Silence.

"Where are we going?"

Nothing.

"Grissom! I was working the case! What is so important that it trumps this case?"

No reply.

"Goddamn it Grissom! What the hell is happening?"

Grissom sighed. "We're going to Catherine's. She's locked in her bathroom and she thinks that Greg is being kidnapped."

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Greg moaned, and tried to roll over. Catherine's spare bed was really uncomfortable, and he'd somehow managed to tangle his hands together in the blankets behind his back. He went to rub his eyes, but strangely he couldn't move his hands from the tangles of the suffocating bed sheet. Stretching out his legs, Greg realised that he couldn't. His feet felt tied, both to each other and to his hands.

His eyes struggled open, but he could see only black, and he felt the rough fabric of the blindfold on his face.

"Wh-?" He mumbled, his fear only rose when he heard his words muffled by the gag that he was just starting to feel digging into his mouth.

He could feel what felt like a bed sheet tucked around him, but panic rose like a flash flood when he realised he was only in his boxers under the sheet.

"Hmp! Omon hmp m!" With a sinking feeling, Greg realised that he was in the trunk of a moving car. The calls were hopeless. Desperately, he began trashing around, his bound limbs smashing against four tight walls, rubbing his face against the floor of the car to try and loosen the blindfold and gag.

_Is this what happened to Nick? _Greg wondered.

He strained to remember how he got in what the trunk of the car. The last thing he remembered was sitting on Catherine's bed. However hard he thought, he just could not remember.

Just as he was about to give up, the car flew over a bump which threw his head against the roof of the trunk.

Greg let out a muffled yelp as he felt a warm sticky substance slid slowly down his cheek. That's when it came back to him...

_He was sitting on the bed, iPod on shuffle, music blasting his eardrums to high heaven, trying to think about anything but being a target. He hadn't heard the door opening._

_Suddenly, the song had switched with no warning to the chorus of a different song._

_"Chances thrown  
__Nothing's free__  
__Longing for__  
__Used to be__  
__Still it's hard__  
__Hard to see__  
__Fragile lives__  
__shattered dreams__..."_

_"What the...?" Greg had muttered, receiving the shock of his life when four pairs of freezing hands grasped each of his limbs._

_His eyes flew open in a panic as he saw four grown men leaning over him. Greg opened his mouth to call Catherine, but a petite woman curly auburn hair leapt onto the bed. As he bucked and struggled to try and throw her off, she covered his mouth with leather clad hands._

"_CFRIN! CFRIN!" Greg cried desperately_

"_Sh, Greggie, sh. It's okay, Catherine's a little...busy at the moment." The gentle tone of the woman's voice sent shivers down Greg's spine. "Now, I am going to remove my hand and I want you to stay very quiet. Otherwise, you will have to be punished." _

_Shakily nodding his head, Greg's mind went into alarm mode. All four of the large, muscular men standing above him were masked. _

"_What do you want?" Greg hissed quietly. _

_The woman grinned. "A lot of things, Greggo. But first, __Acolmiztli wants to see you." _

"_Who?" Greg exclaimed loudly. _

"_Oops!" The woman squeaked. "Too loud." _

_Greg screamed as one of the men let go of his arm to smash a steaming iron into his stomach. Pain like nothing he had ever experienced seared his skin. It partly reminded him of the lab explosion, but all the pain was concentrated, and it ached as well. Where the iron had come from, Greg had no idea, but it hurt like hell. _

"_GREG!" he heard, coming from the bathroom. _

"_Ca-the-RINE!" He howled, panting. The woman on top of him laughed and the men began to lift him off the bed. _

_Overcome by instinct, Greg bucked and thrashed, succeeding only on making himself swing in midair, not doing a thing about the iron grips that the men had on his limbs. _

"_Du kommer til å lide, barn" the woman sneered as Greg lost consciousness._

So that's where the blood is coming from, Greg thought miserably. He felt like crying. He had never, in his entire life felt more vulnerable. Bound, gagged, blindfolded, practically naked in the trunk of a car.

Suddenly, another bump seemed to be a gift from God, as it finally knocked loose the gag and the blindfold as Greg's head was thrown against the ceiling. He spotted his cell phone open next to his face, the dim light illuminating his dark prison. All of the numbers had been ripped off the phone, except from four.

With a sob of relief, Greg went for the phone, and thanked god that he didn't have a flat nose.

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Nick stared forlornly at the door leading to surgery. The waiting room was stark and dull, and half empty. Or was it half full? Strange and philosophical thoughts often came to Nick when he was bored.

It had not taken very long for Nick to get bored at the hospital. After Grissom hung up on him, he had let the nurse do her thing and patch him up. He thought she'd given him antibiotics, no she definitely had, they were in his back pocket.

Nick absentmindedly flipped through a magazine, worrying what could possibly be taking so long with Warrick. Stealing a glance to his watch informed him that it had been almost two hours since they'd arrived and Warrick had been rushed up.

"Um, excuse me mister?" A small, innocent sounding voice piped from his right. Shocked, Nick jerked up and his hand subtly moved closer to his gun. A little spanish girl about five years old looked at him.

"Yes?" He asked, though wary forever the gentleman.

"Um, what does 'dead' mean?"

Nick's heart sank. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, um...my brother, Diego, mama says he's dead, and that he won't come back. Why won't he come back?"

"Well, why don't you ask your momma?"

"She won't say much," the little girl admitted, gesturing to a sobbing figure hunched in the corner. "Now we have to wait, to see if Rosa is okay. Mama says she might be dead soon."

With a start, Nick recognised the little girl. "Is your name Lila Gomez? Is your mommy called Marisol?"

She nodded. "I saw you at Noche y Dia. Your police friend took Jenny home. She's my friend. You're in the police too, aren't you? Can you tell me when I can see my brother?"

Nick's heart pounded for the innocent, naïve little girl. "Sweetie, your brother-"

"Lila! Leave that man alone! Come here." A man ordered.

"Coming daddy!" Lila smiled at Nick then skipped over to her dad, animatedly explaining something to him, but he simply dragged her into his lap and held her close.

Nick sighed. It was so sad...

"Um, Mr. Stokes?"

Nick sprang to his feet. "Yes?"

A pretty nurse walked down towards him. "Your friend Mr. Brown is absolutely fine. The bullet passed straight through his shoulder, nothing major was hit, and as far as we can see there is little infection. Mr Brown is awake and asking for you."

Nick's grin spread from ear to ear. "Thanks, can I see him?"

"Sure." The nurse chirped, and led him into the room. Warrick was sat up in bed, his left arm in a sling, his face smiling as he saw Nick.

"Hey, man. How you feeling?" He asked. "You get that burn checked out yet?"

"Am _I _alright? I swear that's s'posed to work the other way round? Yeah, I'm fine, man."

Warrick chuckled. "So, when am I gonna get let out of here? I wanna find out who in hell has been taking pictures of us."

Shrugging, Nick replied, "Depends. You want me to sweet talk that nurse for you?"

"Whatever, I just wanna get out of here, man!" Warrick snorted rolling his eyes.

A sudden vibrating in Nick's pocket announced his mobile was ringing.

"Stokes."

"Nick!"

"Hey Greg, what's up?"

"Jesus Nick, you have to help me!"

Nick frowned. "Why? What's wrong?"

"I think I'm being kidnapped! At least that's what it feels like and I dunno what else it could be but I don't wanna think-"

"Whoa, Greggo, slow down! What do you mean?"

"I...I think I'm in the trunk of a car!" Greg's panicked voice chilled nick to the bone. "I'm all tied up, and...and I think Catherine's in trouble, but I can't remember, I-"

"Shit! Okay, Greg, details, details. Who did this? How are you tied up? How'd you manage to dial the phone?"

"They were all wearing masks apart from this petite woman, pretty cute, brown eyes, curly ginger hair. She told me I was 'going to suffer' and called me 'child' in Norwegian." Greg chuckled nervously. "I used my nose to dial the phone. My hands and feet are tied behind my back, I think they're tied together. I uh, I'm feeling a little vulnerable here Nicky...they uh, they've taken most of my clothes."

Nick's horrified eyes watched Warrick's confused ones grow with apprehension.

"Nick? Are you there?"

Nick responded to Greg's frightened cry.

"Yeah, buddy, I'm here, just hang on, okay? Anything else you can tell me to help me find you?"

"Uh, I think they wanted me to call you."

"Why'd you say that?"

"They've taken off all the buttons on my phone apart from the call button and number 4. That's your speed dial."

Nick's heart sank ominously. "Okay, that's good. Anything else?"

"Um...the car's quite small, at least the trunk is. Nick, it's really dark, I don't know...but Nick, Cath, Catherine was screaming, Lindsey I think she's really sick!"

Nick recalled the shrieking he'd heard on the phone to Grissom, and two and two clicked together. "I think Grissom is on his way there now. Greg, are you hurt."

There was a long pause.

"Greg!"

"My head hurts. It's bleeding. And my stomach is burning. And aching. And burning." Greg's voice broke on the last word, revealing to Nick the strained, pained undertone to the whole conversation.

"Burning? Greggo, why is your stomach burning?"

"One of the guys. He hit me with an iron. I think it was on. I dunno the last time I've seen an iron, my mom used to do that for me..." Greg paused after his feeble attempt to make fun of himself. "It really hurts Nick."

Nick's heart began to beat hard, as he heard the pain laced in Greg's voice. "I'd guess it's a little like being branded. Sucks, huh?" He joked weakly.

It worked, Greg chuckled quietly. "Yeah. It sucks." Suddenly his voice became saturated in terror. "Nick! The car's stopped! Nick, what do I do?"

"Hang in there, Greggo, okay?" Nick rushed. "Keep your head down, G, don't do anything stupid man. Just hang on, we'll find you."

"Nick," he whispered. "I gotta tell you something."

"Yeah?"

"Maddy, that day shift girl is looking for you."

"What?"

"You're supposed to confess things you wanna confess before you die, right? Well, I may have broken day shifts Wii."

Nick couldn't help but laugh. "Don't make any confessions yet, Greg. We'll find you."

"I'm scared." The plain honesty in Greg's voice tugged on Nick's heartstrings.

"I know, Greggo. Trust me, I'll find you, kid."

"I know. Just, hurry."

Nick heard the boot open, and shuffling.

"Ah, you found our little gift!" A chillingly familiar voice chimed, sounding far away. Then the voice came closer as a woman picked up the phone. "Heya Stokes. Wasn't it nice enough to let little Greg talk to a friend whilst trapped in a trunk? You still at the hospital? Good, that means you haven't wasted poor Archie's time with a trace. The signal would bounce all over the place. Signal jammers are good for that."

"What do you want with Greg?" Nick stiffened.

"All in good time, Stokes. Did he tell you we hurt him? Wouldn't have had to if _you_ didn't come too soon. Ah well. You'll see him soon, Stokes. Can't promise he'll be in one piece- his screams are _far _too satisfying to leave him unharmed, but...

Nick bristled. "If you hurt him-"

There was a cold laugh. "If I _don't_ hurt him Stokes, hell will have frozen over. When you see him, he _may _still be alive. Depends on how I feel... Toodles!" The phone went dead.

Nick dropped the phone.

"Nick? What's wrong?"

Nick looked at Warrick hopelessly, and said the words that couldn't even begin to describe the desperation of the situation.

"They have Greg."


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer- I HAVE VERY LITTLE MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE, and THE POISON INFECTING LINDSEY DOES NOT EXIST. The injuries here are all there for a reason- please bear with me for a while here. **

**Without further ado, read, enjoy and review! **

**Chapter Six**

When Grissom and Sara reached Catherine's house, they sprung through the open door. At the end of the corridor, a large black chest of drawers and a door wedge held the bathroom door in place.

"Sara- stay close, and cover me-keep your gun trained on the doors." Grissom shifted the chest of draws and tried the door handle.

"Catherine? It's Gil; I need you to open the door."

With a click, the door opened, and Grissom was confronted by a hysterical Catherine.

Sara was shocked. Sad Catherine, sure, it happened. Like when she heard kids were involved in the case. Scared Catherine was also known to Sara. When Nick had been abducted, when she heard it was her daughters school. Angry Catherine was _definitely_not an alien concept to Sara.

But hysterical Catherine...

"Gil! Lindsey passed out she won't, she won't wake up and -"

"It's okay, Cath, it is going to be alright. Sara, call the paramedics!" Grissom stated calmly, moving over to Lindsey. She looked deathly pale, and the ends of her fingers were turning black. Grissom was relieved to see that Catherine had thought to put her daughter in the recovery position. Lindsey's skin felt freezing as Grissom found the weak pulse in her wrist. Catherine had laid her daughter out on the mat to avoid placing her on the cold tile floor, and covered the child in towels from the towel rack as she had no access to anything else.

Grissom saw a black piece of fabric peeking out from the towels, and with a start, he realised that Catherine was in a tank top and her underwear. The black fabric was Catherine's suit-everything that she had to keep her daughter warm she had used.

In less than two minutes, paramedics rushed through the door. After what seemed like a two minute diagnosis, one lifted Lindsey straight into his arms and raced out the door.

"Wait! Let me come!" Catherine cried, but the second paramedic laid a hand on her arm.

"Ms Willows, your daughter is showing all signs of poisoning by a deadly and very contagious bio weapon that was stolen from research facilities two days ago. All hospitals and paramedics are on red alert. You have been exposed but as you are showing no symptoms I doubt you have it. I will explain more at the hospital, if you want to follow us you can."

Without responding Grissom bundled Catherine into the car. "Sara, get in. You're not staying here alone."

Sara didn't argue as she slid into the backseat next to a sobbing Catherine. Nervously, she took her superiors hand and held it as Catherine told them everything that happened.

When Catherine had finished, there was silence until Grissom's phone began to ring. He picked it up.

"Nick, if this is not important I am hanging up, I'm driving."

"Grissom! Greg's been kidnapped!"

"I know, Catherine just told me. Wait, how do you know?"

"He called me, Grissom, he called me. Said he's hog tied in the trunk of a small car, didn't know his attackers, all but one woman wore a mask, there were five altogether, his head is bleeding, he has no clothes, my speed dial is the only number on his phone which they left next to him, they hit...they hit him in the stomach with a steaming iron and the woman took the phone from him. She sounds like the same person who attacked me, but I can't be sure. She said that they're gonna hurt him, Grissom." Nick had only paused once as he relayed the situation to Grissom, but Grissom caught every word.

"I hear you, Nicky. We're on our way to the hospital, Lindsey's sick. How's Warrick?"

Sara and Catherine both looked up sharply.

"He's good. Nurse said he can go..."

"No! Meet us there. I'll see you in about five minutes." Grissom hung up the phone and tossed it onto the passenger seat.

"Griss," Catherine wiped her eyes, trying to get a hold on herself. "What's wrong with Warrick?"

Grissom sighed. "He and Nick crashed the car. Then Warrick was shot by a little boy. Nick says it's only a shoulder wound and Warrick had already been discharged."

They met Warrick and Nick in the waiting room, and it struck Grissom how his whole team looked lost.

Suddenly, someone was calling Catherine's name.

"Ms. Willows? My name is Dr. Drew. I'm not going to beat around the bush here... Your daughter has been infected by venisax, a poison that was being developed by a private research company called Jameson Laboratories before their lab was broken into a few days ago."

Catherine choked, and Warrick put his arm around her.

"Now, it is curable, but _difficult_to cure and not everybody responds to the treatment. It is also highly contagious, so unfortunately we won't be able to let you anywhere near Lindsey for at least a week."

"What?" Catherine exclaimed. "Not...not even from behind a glass wall?"

The Doctor's sympathy was genuine. "No, I am afraid not, Ms. Willows. AS for the treatment itself, there should be no operations; it mainly consists of dozens of injections of various different chemicals, if you like I can email you a list of procedure."

"Thank you," Grissom said, "but we are a bit worried about Lindsey's safety..."

The doctor shook his head " Due to your daughters condition, the only people allowed anywhere near her are me, Nurse Emma, the night nurse and we are trying to find a day nurse willing to risk her health for Lindsey. Emma knows she is immune to this strand as she is a carrier of sickle cell anaemia, and venisax, like malaria, cannot attack the mutated blood cells. However, we have yet to find another nurse..."

"I'll do it." Said a soft voice. A beautiful African American woman with curly black hair and a sad smile walked towards the distraught CSIs.

"Tina?" Warrick asked. She frowned.

"Warrick- you're hurt?"

"Not badly," Warrick reassured his wife.

Tina sighed. "Lindsey's just a kid, and I'll bet she's scared. I know how much Catherine means to you, Warrick. I'd be happy to help."

The doctor looked unhappy. "Nurse Brown, you are not a carrier of sickle cell anaemia-"

"But I _am _a willing volunteer, and I know what I am doing. By the time Emma arrives for her shift, in fact even if you call her in now it could be too late. There isn't enough time to go around al of the nurses and ask them if their red blood cells have mutated. I am willing to take the risk. Ms. Willows has done _a lot _for my husband." Tina's voice was firm but soft.

Catherine wiped her eyes with her tissue and shook Tina's hand.

"It's Catherine. I wish I could have met you under different circumstances." She sniffed. "But thank you so much."

Tina smiled. "Me too. It's not a problem, Catherine. I have a very healthy immune system. I will call you with any change to Lindsey's condition."

"Thank you," Catherine whispered.

To Warrick's great surprise, Catherine embraced Tina thankfully, and Tina warmly returned the hug

"Be careful." Tina said, kissing Warrick's cheek. She looked pointedly at the rest of the team. "All of you."

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Rough hands dragged Greg out of the car. This time, two men held him, arms linked under his elbows so his bound legs were tucked up behind his back, still tied to his hands. The sheet covering him fell to the floor in slow motion, and Greg could see every ripple - every soft peak and trough in the fabric. It looked alive and free in Greg's eyes.

The woman with ginger hair leered towards him. "Hello, Greggie!"

Greg frowned. "Y'know, the only person to ever call me 'Greggie' was my great Aunt Gladys. Can I call you Gladys?"

A large hand slapped Greg across the face. "Speak to her with respect you little rat!"

"Rat?" Greg was offended. "I haven't been called that since I was a lab tech!"

The owner of the large hand gripped Greg's hair and pulled his head back so Greg was forced to look at the giant man. Greg guessed his height to be well over six foot.

"Shut it, kid. You got that?"

"Uh huh."

"Do you know who we are, G?"

Greg shuddered as the woman used Nick's nickname for him. "The Sesame Street Gang?"

The woman snorted. "Cute. Well, if you want to call me anything...call me mistress."

"Mistress?" Greg scrunched his nose up. "Uh, Grissom's really the one who's into that sort of thing-Lady Heather and all that stuff, not me so-" his voice wavered as the woman put a finger on his lips.

She turned, and began talking to the men in a language Greg did not understand.

"Can I call you Victoria?" He asked. The woman turned slowly with a ludicrous expression on her face.

"Excuse me?"

"Well, I was watching 'Twilight' on the weekend with Elisa, my cousin's kid, and you remind of Victoria. Small stature, possibly deadly, gentle voice...not to mention that curly ginger hair which is pretty epic, by the way." Greg babbled, pretending that he was explaining something to Grissom.

'Victoria' looked at him curiously. "Alright. You may." The man with the big hands shot her daggers, but she continued, gesturing to the man. "You may refer to him, as Heracles."

"The Greek name for Hercules?"

"Precisely."

"I thought Heracles was a hero." Greg mused. The man knelt down in front of Greg and Greg felt his head moving back to try and avoid the man that was getting in his face, and his disgusting stale breath.

"Heracles," the man said softly, "was driven mad by Hera, queen of the gods, as a punishment to her husband, Zeus, for having the boy out of wedlock. Heracles murdered his whole family, boy."

Greg gulped, and Heracles laughed and straightened.

"Hey, it's the hunters! What did you...oh, Acolmiztli is gonna be over the moon!" A new voice cheered. "You got the kid!"

"Itzli!" Victoria cried happily.

"Hey, I heard about what you did to the Willows kid to get her out of the way, that was classic!" Heracles chuckled, and Greg's heart sank.

"What did you do to her?" He asked, his voice hoarse.

Itzli looked at him in surprise. "He talks!"

"One hell of a lot..." Heracles muttered

"Well, I don't like killing kids, so I dosed her up with some venisax. It might kill her, but it might not. Either way, Lindsey Willows will be separated from her mother for a week by the doctors, which gives us a lot of time to move."

"What's wrong with killing kids?" Heracles demanded, and Itzli shrugged.

"I don't like killing kids."

"I'm a kid!" Greg chimed hopefully. Itzli looked confused, but Heracles snorted.

"Yep, kid. You are. Unfortunately for you, Itzli is the only one with such qualms and-"

"They only extend to those sixteen and under." Itzli grinned. He looked like a movie star, Greg thought. His shirt hung open, revealing a chiselled chest, and he had a flawless tan, stylishly scruffy golden blonde hair and teeth so white that Greg _knew _the guy used whitener.

"Aw, poor G."

"Will you _stop _calling me that!" Greg hissed before he could stop himself. Heracles responded by kicking Greg in the stomach seven times with a steel toed shoe. As the boot touched his stomach, Greg screamed as an unimaginable pain ripped through his torso. He tried to bring his knees up against his chest, but when he tried he practically pulled his arms out of their sockets.

Howling in agony, Greg hardly noticed as they carried him into some sort of building. Writhing around in the arms of his captors, a very small part of Greg's brain was embarrassed about the tears falling from his eyes. A very small part.

"Wait! Heracles, he cannot see the way!" Itzli hissed.

Victoria smiled. "May I?"

Itzli grinned and bowed. "My pleasure!"

Victoria signalled for the men to stop. Greg's howls stopped but his lips quivered as Victoria leaned up, her gorgeous brown eyes jeering at his. He felt his stomach tingle as cool fingertips brushed like a feather over his wounds

All Greg could here was his laboured breathing in a second that felt like a lifetime.

From her back pocket, Victoria produced a small vial of an icy blue liquid, and a child's tape recorder.

"There are several different types of burns, G. The most painful are flames, explosions, steam and acid burns. I wonder what happens when you put two together?"

Realising what was about to happen, Greg began to whimper. "No, please, no! I'm sorry, I really, really am, I didn't mean it! Please, please don't do that, please. Call me whatever the hell you like I won't say a word, I'll be good, I-"

Victoria gently placed two fingers on his lips.

"Please," he whispered, unaware that the broken sounds of his voice were thrilling Victoria no end.

Greg could feel every molecule of the acid from the vial as it attacked every last burnt cell in his stomach. Screaming like never before, Greg suddenly smelt burning. He looked down to see Victoria holding a cigarette above the blistering bubbling skin that used to be his smooth stomach.

"NO!" he screamed, "Please, NO! HELP ME, SOMEONE HELP!"

"Nicky's listening!" Victoria sang sweetly.

Greg instantly tried to calm himself, but rickety sobs shook his body.

"You want Nick to risk his neck to help you?"

Greg shook his head, squeezing his eyes and lips shut.

"Really?" Victoria pressed another cigarette into the already deathly painful burn, and Greg obeyed.

Hollering through sobs, he cried, "Nick! P-p-p-p-_please! _Help me Nick, don't leave me, oh GOD IT HURTS! MAKE IT STOP! NICK?"

"One last push should do it." Heracles muttered to Victoria. "But I'm surprised he lasted this long."

Greg hardly felt the blow to his stomach that finally allowed him to pass out.


	8. Chapter 7

**Wow, me being on holidays really speeds up the updates. However, I will start waiting to upload chapters if I don't get any reviews! Thanks to Marymel and lotzalove for reviewing the last chapter, my mum had an operation yesterday so it made my day. This chapter is partly a bit of a filler to set up some things happening later on but oh well. There are bits that I like quite a bit...Please please please review! **

**So as usual, please just Read, Enjoy, Review! **

**Chapter Seven**

Grissom sighed and rubbed his temples. He had thought that he had organised his team the best that he could, but he had failed them. Nick and Warrick had seemed like an obvious choice as a pair- Nick had been the most wounded at the time, and Grissom knew that Warrick would do anything to keep his friend safe.

Catherine and Sara were a definite no-no, they got along well enough now, but neither was amazing at keeping their tempers when under stress. Grissom knew that he intimidated Greg, so seeing as how he wanted Greg to feel safe, Catherine or Sara seemed like the best choice. Greg and Sara felt like the most vulnerable members of the team, so it made sense if Catherine looked after Greg. That left Grissom and Sara. Now, though, that had to change.

Nick and Sara were at the top of their guard, processing Catherine's apartment and he had helped Warrick and Catherine process the crash scene. Then he had had to talk to Ecklie.

The conversation went better than he had expected. Ecklie was almost sympathetic, and Grissom was sure that it would shock anyone else to hear Ecklie quietly telling Grissom to get Greg home safe. Grissom knew that despite the way he acted, Conrad Ecklie did care about the wellbeing of the people in the lab. After all, he had tried to get Ecklie to get McKeen to pay Nick's ransom, those months ago.

However, only one thing slightly shocked Grissom. It was also the one thing that he cared about

_They still had the case. _

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Greg Sanders was dead. He knew this due to several reasons. A) He couldn't see or hear anything. B) He wasn't in any pain. And C) he could smell blue Hawaiian coffee.

Curious, he stretched his legs, and was overjoyed to find that he could do so. His hands were also free. So I must be dead, he thought.

Suddenly a piercing light penetrated his eyelids, which fluttered open in shock. As a painful light flooded his eyes, his ears began to pick up sounds.

"Ah, Itzli, your light worked, he's waking up!"

"Really? Good."

He was still in this hell. He wasn't dead. Well, that sucked.

Greg felt like thrashing around and having a tantrum like a five year old kid. _Not fair!_Were the only two words he wanted to say. Slowly, Greg realised that he still couldn't feel any pain. That was good. He struggled to look down at his stomach. It was wrapped in a clean white bandage, but small splodges of red were showing through. He closed his eyes.

"Hey, ratty!" It was Heracles' voice.

Greg groaned. "Lemme go or leave me alone." He muttered weakly.

Itzli laughed. "Nice try kid, nice try."

"He's so cute, isn't he?" Victoria purred

Heracles laughed. "Acolmiztli will love him. The kid is perfect for his plans. I must admit, I thought he'd snap too early. But Acolmiztli is right."

"Of course he is." Itzli's movie star voice floated to Greg's ears. "It's time."

Greg's eyes flew open as he heard footsteps come towards him. He saw Heracles advancing towards him, and tried to shuffle backwards, but he wasn't fast enough, and the giant man scooped Greg into his arms, in the position that his cousin's youngest daughter Poppy, fondly called a 'princess carry'.

Greg began to kick and punch, but he could have been a fly for the effect it had on the giant.  
So instead he tried to focus on where he was and where they were taking him. They were walking down a white corridor that distinctly reminded Greg of a hospital, but human bones lined the walls, which were covered in blood splatter. He shuddered as they opened a door with the body of a small snake hanging from the large ornate knocker, which in itself looked odd down the medicinal looking corridor.

Inside the room was a man who's posture and size screamed average. However, his face was so tattooed with colour that Greg couldn't help but stare. Around his eyes, there were two black circles, making Greg think of a panda, and making the electric blue eye stand out from the black. His other eye was bright green. Flames seemed to erupt from the black hole-like circles, and curl around his bald skull to the back where they formed a ball of fire, tattooed on with great detail. Between the flames were tiny screaming faces ranging from the size of a sequin to the size of a walnut. The faces were different colours, but each had one thing in common- the pure terror on their face.

What struck Greg as strange was how none of the rest of the man's body was tattooed. The only ink was on his face and head, and it cut off like a bad tide mark from an Essex girl's foundation.

"Hello Mr. Sanders." His voice was venomous but soft.

"Who the hell are you?" Greg spat.

"My name is Acolmiztli. I have organised this little experiment. Your friend Stokes, he ruined the first part of my plan. If he hadn't gone to your apartment, then we wouldn't have had to burn either of you. He will still have to pay for that though."

"No!" Greg interrupted. "Nick didn't, Nick...just leave him the hell alone, leave all of them alone!"

The way the man looked at Greg reminded Greg of Grissom looking at a pretty interesting bug.

"No can do, I am afraid Mr. Sanders. The plan is already rolling. Mr. Sanders, please get on that table over there."

Heracles dropped Greg onto the floor.

"Ow!" He cried indignantly. Apprehensively, Greg eyed the 'table'. It was shaped like an 'X'. Like the cross that saint, St. Andrew, was crucified on, Greg thought. There were straps on each of the arms of the 'X', and there was no way that Greg was going to willingly get onto the table.

"Come on, Mr Sanders. No need to make it difficult." When Greg didn't move, Acolmiztli walked over to a large jar, and pulled out a bag of marbles. "Now, you remember when you were little, Mr. Sanders? The game where every time you were a good boy, mommy would put an extra marble in the jar? Well that isn't how my marble jar works. Here, each marble represents an extra half an hour that Heracles can spend alone with Sara and Catherine when they arrive."

Greg's heart pounded as he realised the implications of that. But once he got on the table...

A marble fell into the jar.

"No!" Greg cried, moving to the table. He hauled himself up, feeling as if he had signed his own death warrant.

He closed his eyes in defeat as he lay down and felt different hands pulling him in different directions, until he was tied to the table, his body eagle spread on the cross.

"Now what?" He heard Heracles mutter.

"We wait until the morphine wears off. When the pain comes back, we will begin."

**CSIVCSIVCSIV  
**  
Nick looked in dismay at the high velocity blood splatter behind the bed. He glanced at Sara, who was dusting every surface in the room with a fury, tears showing in the corner of her eyes.  
Nick tested the blood-it was human. He measured and photographed it until there was nothing else to do in the room. They had found a pair of headphones on the floor, attached to Greg's iPod and had guessed that that explained the minimal signs of a struggle- they might have grabbed him before he realised that there were even people there.

"Nick," Sara whispered.

"Yeah?"

"How hurt was he?"

Nick couldn't meet Sara's eyes. "They burnt his stomach with an iron and hit him on the head."

Sara hung her own head. "I have nothing. Not a single," she paused to sneeze into her sleeve. "Print."

"This blood is the only signs of a struggle. There's nothing else her, we've searched every room, and every inch of this room. But there has to be something!" Nick sighed desperately.

"There's nothing, Nick." Sara's voice sounded dead "There is nothing we could do."

"What's with the past tense? You sound like you think he's already dead." Nick said softly.

Sara sniffed. "I don't wanna think that Nick, I just...I don't want them to hurt him. Every time I think about it I just see...Greg staring up at a hooded man, those confused, hurt puppy dog eyes he does when he's upset." Sara's voice broke, and Nick strode over and wrapped his arms around Sara. She stiffened, and then settled into the friendly hug.

"God, Nicky, I don't even wanna think about what they could do to him." She mumbled into his shoulder.

"I know, believe me. But he's more mature, stronger even, than we give him credit for, Sara."

"He's so young," Sara moaned, and Nick knew she was not referring to the years Greg had lived. It was more about the childlike innocence they all associated with Greg, being the youngest member of the team. The way he played around, listened to wacky music, but was still able to be appropriate when he needed to.

"I know." Nick murmured, rubbing her back. "But we're gonna find him."

_Yes_, the child crouched in Catherine's closet thought. _You are._  
**  
CSIVCSIVCSIV  
**  
With Grissom helping they had processed the crash scene in record time, with all three CSIs desperate to find Greg. Catherine and Warrick were processing the evidence as quickly and thoroughly as possible whilst Grissom talked to Ecklie. Catherine was wearing CSI overalls, and had scraped her hair up to try and regain some of her usual dignity.

Warrick picked up the child's tape recorder. "I've processed the recorder and the tape, so I'm gonna take this over to Archie, see if he can tell me what the hell it means."

Catherine nodded mutely as Warrick turned to leave. "Rick?"

"Yeah?"

"Next time you talk to Tina, thank her for me?"

Warrick walked back over to Catherine and hugged her. "Sure, I will. Cath? Linds is gonna be fine. She's in good hands."

"I know. But Greg isn't."

Warrick had nothing to say as he left to drop the tapes off to Archie.

Archie Johnson was having a bad day. He'd got to work and straight away he had been confronted by Maddy Briggs, a pretty but very angry day shift girl screeching at him that Greg Sanders had broken the Nintendo Wii that she and the Day shifters had bought, and demanded that Archie try to fix it. He had spent half an hour trying to fix it before finally deciding that it was unfixable. He then got a lecture from Ecklie about wasting the lab's time.

Then he had received a call from his landlord informing him that his apartment had a small flood in the living room, since the children in the apartment above had decided to play battleships at bathtime. After that, Wendy had flagged him down in the hallway asking him what to do, since Grissom had apparently thrown his phone at her and it had fallen apart.

After helping the new lab tech fix the phone, Archie had finally been able to get to his lab, where he had spent hours staring at a screen with a migraine, only to get a phone call from Maddy Briggs wanting to know if the Wii had been fixed yet. Archie had gone to track Greg down, only to be informed that his friend had been kidnapped by a very vague Catherine.

So when Judy showed up at the door of the A/V lab, Archie snapped, "If that isn't chocolate, coffee or Star Trek related, then I am NOT interested."

"How about packages marked urgent?" Judy asked nervously.

Archie sighed. "Sorry, Judy. I'm just having a really bad day."

As Judy smiled sympathetically Archie ripped over the package and found a colourful child's tape recorder. Written on it in black lettering was 'play me'.

Cautiously, Archie stuck in his head phones and pressed play.

A bloodcurdling scream sounded in his ears, making Archie jump, and a harsh male voice began to speak.

"Archie, Archie, Archie. The lab really should protect the lab rats as much as they do their CSIs, as you little geeks are so easy to get to. Look at Sanders, once a lab rat, always a lab rat, right? We want the second side of this tape to be listened to by Stokes, and only Stokes. We are watching you, Archie. If you swap sides without Nick, Sander's gets a bullet in the arm. You listen with Nick, it's in the leg. You tell anyone else, it's the _gut_. Now, little lab rat, here's some incentive for your cooperation." A gut wrenching cry spluttered through the tape. If it wasn't Greg's voice, then Archie wasn't a lab technician. "Run little lab rat. Run and get Stokes, before Sanders pays the price."

The tape clicked and stopped.

Oh, yeah. Archie Johnson was having a very bad day.


	9. Chapter 8

**Okay, here we go, chapter eight! This is a really long chapter, sorry! I thought it was the best place to end it. Wrote almost all of it on the way to Birmingham to look for a prom dress, and I have to admit that I really enjoyed writing bits of it. However, I really do need to stop procrastinating by writing this and start revising for maths and history. My exams are over at the end of next week so updates will come quicker then!**

**Thanks to CSIFAN23 and C.H.W.13 for reviewing the last chapter! :-)**

**Anyways, please just read, enjoy and review! **

**Chapter Eight **

Running from the A/V lab, Archie crashed into Warrick.

"Whoa, slow down there Archie, I need you to process this tape, it might help you-"

"Where's Nick?"

"What?" Warrick asked confused

"Where is Nick? This is important!"

Warrick began to get annoyed. "Archie, Greg is in danger! We do not have time for you to-"

"Where the hell is Nick?" Archie shouted in Warrick's face. As Warrick opened his mouth, Archie stopped him. "I don't know much, but I need to see Nick, now! Greg's life depends on it!"

Warrick frowned. "How the hell do you know that? What the hell is going on?"

Archie felt uncomfortable at the slowly gathering crowd. Mandy, Wendy and Hodges all stood outside their respective labs. "Look, I can't tell you, or Greg is going...they'll..."

"Slow down man, slow down." Warrick said calmly.

Archie felt like he was going to burst at the apparent arrogance of the CSI. "I...can't."

Suddenly Warrick's phone rang. He glanced at the caller id and did a double take.

_The Awesome and Amazing Greg Sanders _

He flashed it at Archie before picking it up. "This is Brown."

_"Ah, Mr. Brown."_ Archie could just about here the man's words through the phone.

"Who is this?"

_"Never you mind. You are interrupting my plans, and putting pressure on poor old Archie. Now, I'll let you in on a little secret that I originally only told to Archie when I threatened him. I want _Stokes _to listen to the other side of the tape. Only Stokes or I put a bullet in this boy here. You, say something."_ There was a long pause, then a quite bang and a muffled yelp. _"SAY SOMETHING!"_

A small, miserable voice spoke down the line. "_Hello?"_

"Greg?"

"_Warrick?"_

"Yeah, man, it's me. Hang in there buddy..." Warrick was cut off by the first voice.

_"Now, Nick Stokes listens to that goddamn tape on his own or you Mr. Brown will have the young CSIs blood all over your hands. Now I know that Greg Sanders isn't exactly your best friend, maybe you're even happy that he's not there to bug you, but-"_

"What the hell are you talking about?" Warrick exploded.

_"Do I have a point?" _

"No, you damn well don't!" Warrick knew that he and Greg weren't best buddies, but that did _not _mean that they weren't good friends. He was worried as hell about the young CSI, and was willing to risk a hell of a lot to get him back. He hoped that he'd shouted loud enough for Greg to hear him.

_"Either way, Mr. Brown...it will not be the first time you are responsible for the death of a co-worker." _

The phone hung up, and Warrick looked at Archie. "I'd better go find Nick."

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Grissom stared at the employee register for Noche y Dia. One name was sticking out at him. Anya Frost, the night receptionist.

After checking the teenager's phone records, he had confirmed that she had told the strange group of friends to stay away that night. Maybe she had been a part of a plan that got a conscience? Either way, he wanted to talk to her, and Brass was locating her. She was just a little hard to locate.

A soft knock on the door had Grissom look up. It was Sofia.

"Grissom? There's a kid in the break room."

"And?" Grissom pressed; irritated the Sofia would interrupt him in a time like this when she knew what was happening.

Sofia shifted her weight. "No one knows who he is or where he came from. And he asked Mandy if she was his mommy."

"Maybe..." as Grissom tried to think of a situation not involving him leaving his office Sofia sighed.

"Grissom, I worked with Greg for long enough to want him _here, safe, now. _I wouldn't interrupt you if I didn't think it was important, please tell me you know that?"

Grissom frowned and followed Sofia to the break room. A small, sandy haired boy was curled up in a chair by the coffee machine. He had bright green eyes, and there were specks of red on his black and white Mickey Mouse shirt.

When he saw Sofia, he chanted in a soft, sweet voice, "Are you my mommy?"

Sofia and Grissom exchanged looks

"Is that blood on his shirt?" Grissom noticed.

"Holy crap!" A voice shouted behind Grissom. He swivelled to see a pale, tired looking Nick suddenly alert and pointing at the boy. "Grissom, that's the kid-he shot Warrick!"

Grissom turned back to the boy and was shocked by the change he saw. The boy had pulled his Mickey Mouse shirt off and thrown it into the corner, revealing a ball of fire tattooed on his chest. The boy grinned, and pulled a small knife out from his trouser.

"Hello. You are my friend." The boy grinned, slowly .

The three CSIs stared at the boy in shock, until Grissom pushed Sofia gently towards the hall. "Call security, and child services." He murmured.

As she ran to find a security guard, Sofia crashed into Warrick who was running the other way. Sofia, being the smaller of the pair, flew backwards and landed on the floor.

"Sorry," Warrick gasped, massaging his shoulder for a second before offering Sofia his hand.

Sofia shook her head. "No, it was my fault, I'm sorry."

"Look, is Nick back?"

"Yeah, he's back there but-"

"Thanks!" Warrick called, pushing past her.

"Warrick-wait!"

"Sorry, I can't-"

"The kid that shot you, he's in there!"

Warrick's face hardened, but he looked torn. Sofia cursed as he turned and ran towards Nick.

As Warrick stood in the doorway, the kid's eyes filled with glee.

"It was a good shot!" He cheered happily

"Nick," Warrick murmured. "Go see Archie, man, there's something you gotta hear."

Nick opened his mouth to protest but Warrick interrupted. "I think Greg's life depends on it."

Nick's mouth set in a straight line of determination as he turned to find Archie. Warrick turned his attention back to the boy, who looked over the moon.

"Why'd you shoot me, kid?" He asked softly, trying to act like Nick, who Warrick knew was more approachable.

The little boy looked at him with cold eyes. "None of your business."

Warrick scoffed. "I think it is, kid. You put me in hospital, and you knocked me and my buddy out. Why?"

"Acolmiztli asked me to."

"Who is this Acol-zim-ti person?"

The boy looked at Warrick and rolled his eyes.

"Acol-miz-tli. My Daddy."

**CSIVCSICSIV**

A loud rumbling sound filled the small room where Greg was strapped to the table and he stared at his stomach in horror as it brought the attention of the men in the room back to him. No one had noticed him since the phone call with Warrick, about half an hour ago now. Victoria had been gone for a longer.

"Hungry much, G?" Itzli asked casually.

"Nope." Greg chirped. "Just fine, thank you."

In truth, Greg was starving. He had always been the type of person who could eat as much as he wanted without gaining so much as a pound, and it was something he always used to his advantage. Glancing at the clock on the wall, Greg guessed that he had been in captivity for about fifteen hours. It felt like eternity, especially as he hadn't eaten anything since two hours before his shift ended, add that to the fifteen he'd spent here.

_Seventeen whole hours_without food! And here he was thinking it was horrific to skip breakfast only the day before.

As if to contradict Greg's denial, his stomach protested again.

"I don't think your stomach agrees with you Greg."

"No, I think my poor little tummy is just a bit miffed that it's been burned beyond belief."

"Miffed?" Itzli scoffed. "Is that your idea of swearing, kid?"

"Well no, that would be 'my stomach is fu-"

"Mr. Sanders, please control yourself. I will not tolerate that language from you. It shows disrespect."

"Disrespect?" Greg cried incredulously. "Why would I show you anything _but_disrespect? You kidnapped me!"

"Well, Mr. Sanders, every time you are disrespectful, another marble will fall into the jar." Acolmiztli explained.

Greg paused. "What if you don't get Sara and Catherine? They're too smart to get caught by you!"

Acolmiztli laughed. "Like you are, Mr. Sanders? I have a strong, fail proof plan, with many back-ups. I have every possibility covered. And, if all else fails, I am sure that they would come if I told them that it would save your life, no?"

Greg fell silent.

"I thought so. How much pain are you feeling, Mr. Sanders?"

Greg stared at him like he had sprouted wings and stubbornly kept his mouth shut. In honesty, the churning hunger pains only added to the excruciating mess that was his stomach. But there was no way in hell that he would say that - whatever happened next would happen when Greg was in pain, and he knew it.

Acolmiztli wave Itzli forward, and the younger man tapped Greg's bandaged stomach. Greg hissed in pain, and turned his head away.

"It's time!" Heracles cried gleefully.

Itzli grabbed something Greg couldn't see, and Acolmiztli walked round to Greg's head.

"Now, Greg. The following process may take a while. However, you must not utter a single word, unless I give you permission. Otherwise, one of my snipers will take out a lab tech. They pay no part in my later plans, so there is nothing to stop me from putting a bullet in one of their little heads. I know you're a CSI now, a big boy, but the lab tech's are still your friends, right? Or would it not matter to you if Archie Johnson gets a nice round bullet hole straight through the middle of his head?"

Greg just stared at the man in horror. Snipers? Just how long were this man's arms?

Itzli and Heracles donned two masks. Clown masks. Now, Greg had never been scared of clowns, that particular phobia had never struck him. On the other hand, to say that he wasn't scared of the two men wearing the clown masks would be a complete lie. One mask, from the size of the owner, he guessed that it was Heracles had a large melodramatic frown, and the other, Itzli, had a wide grin.

Greg's heart began to race as they came closer, and he saw the object that Itzli had grabbed earlier. It was about three quarters of a foot long, and wickedly sharp. Greg's whole body tensed as Itzli walked towards him.

"Now, Mr. Sanders, here's the deal. You don't move, you don't make any noise, and your friends stay safe. This time, any time you move or speak without me telling you to, I will kill a lab tech. They aren't very important, in the big scheme of things, and I swear to you I will do it. Nod your head if you understand." Acolmiztli ordered.

Trembling, Greg nodded his head.

The knife was cold against Greg's skin as Itzli rubbed it against Greg's inner thigh. Greg shuddered involuntarily. With a flick of the blade, Greg choked on the shame flooding his body as his boxers fell to the floor. Suddenly all three men moved forward, and a cold pair of hands found their way to his left foot.

Greg tried to block out the probing hands as they fondled his toes, slid up his legs, first the left, then the right. The then hands moved to his right arm. They slid over every finger, felt every inch of the small but toned muscles, then the dreaded hands moved to the other arm. Next the hands moved to his face, stroking his forehead, his nose, his cheeks. He felt like a slave being inspected before he was bought, and he hated it. He felt ashamed and helpless as the man eased open his mouth and tilted his head.

Greg's desperate eyes flew everywhere and anywhere to avoid the man invading every part of his body. The man stroked behind Greg's ears and then the hands were on the move again, sliding over his neck and onto his chest. They slipped underneath him, lifting him of the table as they ran all over his back. The hands unwrapped the bandage from his stomach, and Greg whimpered involuntarily as the fingers probed the damaged flesh.

Greg squeezed his eyes shut in horror as the hands went underneath again, straddling his bum.

Finally, the hands began to probe and squeeze in the place Greg had been most desperate to avoid. Instinctively, he craned his neck away, freezing as he was restrained by threats to his friends. Greg couldn't help but sob as the man assaulted him, touching places Greg had _never _wanted another man to touch.

Humiliation flooded all of his being as the hands finally fell away. Greg sobbed quietly, and every inch of his body felt like it was crawling. Every part of him felt violated, and Greg suddenly didn't want anyone to find him. He wasn't worth the trouble, he'd been shamed beyond belief.

**Pull yourself together!**A voice in his head snapped.

_What? How? God...I feel worthless_. The broken part of him admitted.

**Oh, stop being so melodramtic, Greg! It could have been a hell of a lot worse-This isn't your fault, and these people want you to break. Greg Sanders doesn't give in to bullies.**

_I did in first grade.  
_  
**Well...  
**  
_I gave Louis Arnold all my lunch money when he only asked for a quarter._

**Still...you've grown a lot since then.  
**  
_I can't do this_

**Well, you don't have much choice, do you?  
**  
_S'pose..._

**Nick and Warrick wouldn't break.  
**  
_Well, Nick and Warrick are stronger than me-have you seen the size of them?_

**They're not that big...  
**  
_No, but the size difference is._

**Greg, we're not done yet.**

_Are you me?_

**The better half of you.  
**  
_Ha ha._

**Hold on. Listen to Warrick. Hang in there.  
**_**  
**__Great. Now my subconscious is giving me a pep talk._

**I** **would be rolling my eyes, but unfortunately you have control over our body.**

_Okay. I guess I could hold on for a little longer. Take it like a man._

**Thatta boy!  
**  
Greg opened his eyes and shook his head like a dog to dispel the tears lingering on his face, and to clear his head.

Two of the three men looked shocked at Greg's sudden bounce back. A few seconds ago, he had been sobbing, humiliated and broken.

The pink humiliation lingered on his cheeks, but now his eyes were set in determination.

Acolmiztli wasn't surprised. He was happy. It was so much more fun when they broke in front of loved ones.

His check over of Greg left him very pleased. The boy was healthy and perfect for his part in the plan.

As he and his two followers left Greg alone in the room, he began making calls to set phase two in motion.

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Nick stood in the AV lab with headphones on, tears pricking the corners of his eyes as he listened to the tape.

_"There are several different types of burns, G. The most painful are flames, explosions, steam and acid burns. I wonder what happens when you put two together?"_A chilling feminine voice sneered. Nick recognised it as the same woman who had attacked him in Greg's house.

_"No, please, no! I'm sorry, I really, really am, I didn't mean it! Please, please don't do that, please. Call me whatever the hell you like I won't say a word, I'll be good, I-" _Nick's heart broke at Greg's terrified whimpers. There was a frightening pause, then a single word.

_"Please."  
_  
Another pause, the Nick leapt out of his skin as Greg screamed in obvious agony.

"_NO!"_ Greg screamed, "_Please, NO! HELP ME, SOMEONE HELP!"_

_"Nicky's listening!"_A voice sang sweetly.

Nick could hear sobs and gulps and he felt like crying himself as he realised that Greg was trying to spare Nick from hearing his pain.

_"You_ _want Nick to risk his neck to help you?"_

There was silence, and Nick's heart swelled with pride and affection for Greg.

_"Really?"_

Nick winced as Greg screamed, evidently in even more pain.

_"Nick! P-p-p-p-please! Help me Nick, don't leave me, oh GOD IT HURTS! MAKE IT STOP! NICK?"_

Nick threw his head back as tears leaked from his eyes and trailed unashamedly down his cheeks.

A new voice came on as Greg was silenced.

_"So, Mr. Stokes. A small snapshot of what is happening to Greg. What's it like being the older brother? How different is it to being the youngest, the most protected? Now, if you want to help Mr. Sanders, I suggest that you follow these instructions; tell everyone that the tape was gloating, tell them what you heard between Greg and my lovely assistant, and that you don't know why only you could hear it, but as your friend is in a lot of pain, it would be best to not risk it. Then, revert back to your teen years: sneak out, tell no one where you are going, and come to the Chamberlin's Warehouse, the one in the desert. You know where that is, of course. Do not tell _anyone _where you are going, or the consequences will be severe. You will receive further instructions there. See you soon, Mr. Stokes. Mr. Sander's life depends on it."  
_  
Nick listened as the tape clicked and ended. He ripped off the head phones and covered his face with his hands.

After a second, he left the lab, he was stopped by Sara. "What did it say?" She begged.

Nick tried to tell Sara, but it was a moment before he could form any words. "They were torturing him, Sara." He began sadly but gently. "It sounded like they put... Some sort of acid on his burns Sara. The man was boasting...Greg... begged me to help him."

Sara's face was unreadable. "I want to listen."

"No!" Nick cried. "He says that he's watching, he told Archie that much. He knew when Warrick was stopping Archie. And whoever he is, he doesn't want anyone else to hear."

"Why?" Sara raised her eyebrows.

"I don't know." Nick shrugged. Sara stared at him for a moment, before trying to move past him, but Nick stopped her with a firm hand and a wavering voice. "Sara, Greg was in agony. They will kill him if you listen, Sara. I can't risk Greg's life like that."

Sara's eyes narrowed and she opened and closed her mouth. "That was low, Nick."

"What?" Nick asked incredulously.

"Saying that I don't care about Greg." She explained coldly.

Nick opened his mouth to explain that that was not what he meant, but then he realised a way that he could get Sara off his back. With a heavy heart, he spat-"Well it's obvious that you don't, since you'd be willing to risk his life for the sake of hearing him scream."

Sara's mouth dropped open. "I...that's not what..."

"Save it, Sara. You're selfish and you know it."

Sara gave Nick the infamous Sidle death stare, and Nick felt so guilty for hurting his good friend. He steeled himself as Sara's eyes filled with tears as she gaped at him.

"I hate you Nick Stokes." She hissed.

"Good." Nick jibed, kicking himself inside.

Sara pushed Nick surprisingly hard and he landed on the door to trace with a loud thump. He swore at her as she left and ran towards the ladies room.

Guilt eating away at his insides, Nick whirled and subtly rushed to the door to the parking lot, racing towards his car.

The watching eyes of Heracles smiled as Nick Stokes left the relative safety of the Las Vegas Crime Lab.


	10. Chapter 9

**Okay, here we go! Only a short note this time-I have little Geographical / botanical knowledge- I did look up the tiny bit about flowers, but please remember I try to be as accurate as possible. **

**So, Read, Enjoy, Review!**

**Chapter Nine**

Sara splashed her face with water and glared at her reflection. She wasn't selfish, was she?

Maybe she was. She had thought that she just wanted to make sure that Greg was okay, but maybe she was selfish. Maybe she just wanted to hear his voice.

What was with Nick, anyway?

Sara was worried about the Texan; it wasn't unlike him to lash out, but he practically never took it out on Sara or Greg. Nick sometimes argued with Warrick, but it was very out of character for him to snap at Sara the way he did. She always felt that Nick had her back – in fact she had often felt guilty about how Nick would endure her bad moods and snappy insults when she was tired or angry.

Then again, Sara thought, maybe there was nothing wrong. Maybe it was because he did think she would be willing to put Greg in danger to satisfy his curiosity. Oh, god, Greg.

Every time Sara closed her eyes, she saw Greg's scared confused eyes, the way he was after the lab explosion. She imagined the mangled bodies of victims from recent cases, all with Greg's head and face. She remembered the crush Greg used to have on her. She remembered being secretly flattered, turning the young lab rat down for many reasons, the two main being that she didn't like him in that way, and that she was positive that he could do a lot better.

She missed him, and she was terrified for him. When Nick had gone missing, at least they had known what was happening to him. They knew how much time they had left. With Greg, they had nothing.

Out of pure habit, Sara picked up her cell and dialled Greg's number. The words on her screen read 'Calling _My Hot Best Mate Greg Sanders'_.

She smiled to herself, wrapped in memory of the day just a week ago, when Greg had nicked Sara, Warrick and Nick's phones and changed his name on them. He had claimed that they had done it themselves. It wasn't unrealistic that Nick would have Greg on his phone under _'Leggo my Greggo'_, but Warrick's _'The Awesome and Amazing Greg Sanders', _and Sara's _'My Hot Best Mate Greg Sanders' _were obviously not what the owners had put Greg in as. It made Sara smile how none of them, not Sara, Nick or even Warrick had changed it back to plain old 'Greg Sanders'.

The cheery voice on the end of the phone cheered. "Hello?"

"Greg!" Sara gasped, but to her dismay, Greg's voice continued.

"Joking! You've reached the cell phone of Greg Sanders, and anyway, as you can probably tell I am unable to take your call at the moment, so leave a message and I will get back to you! Bye!"

Sara choked back a sob. Greg. Her Greg. He was one of 'her boys'. He was her Greg. And he was gone.

Sighing, Sara decided it best if she apologised to Nick and made up. It would be easier to find Greg, and Nick had forgiven her so many times. She meandered through the lab in search for Nick. Finally, she reached Hodges, beginning to grow impatient.

"Hodges, have you seen Nick?"

"Since you threw him into my door? No." Hodges said dryly.

"Which way did he go?" Sara huffed.

"Parking lot." Hodges muttered, his eyes glued to his work.

Sara rolled her eyes and decided to check the parking lot for Nick. Almost immediately she noticed the vacancy where Nick's car was always parked. She groaned. She knew there was something else on that tape.

Suddenly, a very familiar fear filled voice called-

"Sara!"

Sara whirled around to look in the direction the voice came from.

"Help me, please someone!" Greg's voice screamed

"Greg?" Sara began to run to the sound.

"Sara! Sara!"

As Sara drew nearer her heart pounded, but she could see no sign of her friend.

"Sara! Sara! Sara! Sara!"

Sara frowned. Something sounded off about Greg's voice. It sounded tinny, and strange like a recording. Each 'Sara' sounded exactly the same, same volume, same intonation, same everything. As Sara came to the back of a sleek but unimpressive sports car, she peered at the back licence plate. Taped to it was a child's tape recorder and it was playing.

Confused but with a falling heart, Sara watched as the boot opened automatically. She began to back away, all senses screaming _'trap!'_

An enormous force crashed into her as something big shoved her into the trunk. Sara screamed to try and grab someone's attention, but no one came as a man over twice her size shoved her into the trunk.

Not one to go down without a fight, Sara let out an enraged version of a battle cry of sorts, kicking her legs and flailing her arms.

"Someone help me!" She shrieked, as the man swore, shoving her limbs into the car.

"If you don't wanna loose those, I suggest you keep them in!" The man grunted and Sara retracted her limbs at the speed of light as the trunk was slammed shut.

The space in the boot was miniscule, and Sara began to panic. There was no way out. Her arms were pinned by her sides by the cramped walls, but to her delight she was able to extract her phone from her pocket.

She couldn't help but think of the similarities of Greg's abduction as she pressed the first number on her speed dial.

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Grissom watched the little boy taunt Warrick.

"Your dad? Acolmiztli is your dad?" Warrick said, confused.

Grissom jumped as a hand felt his shoulder. He turned to see Jeff Watson, the security guard.

"Okay, son." Jeff said placating, holding out his hands. "Gimee the knife, kid. C'mon, it's okay, kid."

The little boy smiled sweetly and passed Jeff the knife gently. Jeff quickly took two of the boy's hands in one of his own. Warrick stared at the boy, who let himself be led away by Jeff, who muttered to Grissom "I'll pat him down, keep him in an interrogation room until child services arrives."

Catherine came running up as the little boy was led away. "Cayden?" She called in shock. The little boy jumped and looked at her in sudden shock, almost fear, before trying to hide his face.

"Cath-" Warrick began as Catherine strode up to the little boy.

"_What_are you doing?" Catherine ordered. The little boy shuffled.

"Nothing Miss. Catherine." He mumbled, avoiding her eyes. Grissom looked on in shock-it seemed like a completely different child.

"Don't you nothing me, young man! Why did you shoot my friend Warrick? You know that's naughty, Cayden."

"Acolmiztli told me to." The little boy whined.

"Who?" Catherine demanded.

"My real daddy."

Catherine raised her eyebrows. "Cayden, your daddy is in prison."

The little boy suddenly reverted back to his previous self and he laughed in Catherine's face. "You know nothing!"

"I know more than you think."

"Then do you know that Sara Sidle is currently being shoved into the trunk of a tiny sports car at gunpoint by Heracles?"

Catherine scoffed. "Sara Sidle is in the print lab, I saw her five minutes ago."

Cayden laughed. "Think again, Miss. Catherine."

Grissom's phone rang, and for a moment he ignored it. Remembering the last message left on his phone, Grissom glanced at the caller and his spine started tingling.

_Sara Sidle _calling.

Grissom picked up his phone. "Sara? Is everything okay?"

"_Grissom? Jesus Christ Grissom, I'm...I'm in the trunk of a car!" _

"What?" Grissom cried, his blood running cold as Cayden began to laugh.

"_God, Griss, is it so hard to handle?" _Sara hissed. _"I just got shoved into a sports car trunk in the crime lab parking lot. A...Toyota Supra I think. Grey, no licence plate. That I know of." _

"Out of the parking lot? Where the hell was Nick?"

Sara let out a choked sob. _"I don't know. His car was gone. Grissom, I don't know what to do. I'm sure it's the same people that took Greg. They tricked me Grissom. They tape a recording the back of the car, it was Greg..." _Grissom could hear the broken shame in Sara's voice. _"He was calling me, Grissom. But it was a recording." _

"Okay, Sara. Hang on, hold on, I'm getting Archie now. We are going to find you, and Greg, and Nick, don't panic, don't panic."

"_Hypocrite." _

Grissom laughed sadly as he ran through to the AV lab, where he found Archie. "Archie, trace the phone calling my cell phone, now. Sara has just been kidnapped from the parking garage."

Archie had had his head buried in his hands, but when Grissom said that, he jumped up and began typing as fast as he could. Grissom could hardly see what he was doing.

"He's using a signal jammer, boss, I can't do anything." Archie's voice sounded devastated.

"Okay, okay, Sara. Sara are you still there?" Grissom cried.

"_You can't get a trace." _Sara's voice was quiet but accepting.

"Sara, just...just hang in there." Grissom didn't know what to say. He wasn't a people person.

"_Grissom, I think I have to hang up...I don't want the guy to know I have my phone..." _

"Good call, Sara, hang on, okay?"

"_I'm hanging on." _She said quietly. _"But, please, Grissom, I don't want to be a crime scene." _

Grissom felt like screaming to high heaven as his connection to his lost CSI was broken.

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Nick pulled up outside the Chamberlin's Warehouse. He was confused as to the location, it was only half an hour out of Vegas, and he doubted that it was the best place to keep a hostage. On the other hand, if it was where Greg was, Nick wouldn't care if they were on the strip or in Alaska. As long as Greg got home safely.

A small part of Nick's brain was protesting to get the hell out of there and save his own skin. There was _no _doubt in his mind that staying was not going to be good for his health. But Nick's heart refused to do that. Family ties ran deep in Nick's blood, and he was not one to abandon family.

Leaving Texas had been a hard decision for Nick – he loved his family deeply and was proud to say that he had a close relationship with each of his two brothers and four sisters (not an easy feat in a family of seven) not to mention his mother and Cisco. However, two very successful parents and six very successful siblings meant a very big shadow hanging over Nick's head. The expectation and judgement were more than Nick could handle.

Nick realised at that moment how he had created his surrogate family around himself, after moving to Vegas. Lacking his blood relatives, the team had transformed in Nick's mind slowly but surely into a family he felt just as close to and comfortable with as his true family in Texas.

Greg's blood may not run in Nick's veins, but he was Nick's brother all the same.

As Nick climbed out of his car, he clutched his gun tightly. He felt strangely alert as he cautiously entered the warehouse. His eyes picked up every detail of the derelict warehouse, his nose unearthing an out of place floral scent, and his ears noting music. Music?

The warehouse was large but empty, with a small table in the middle. Lying on the table was a yellow, red and blue tape recorder, and a song that sounded vaguely familiar to Nick was playing out loud.

"_She was driving last Friday on her way to Cincinnati  
On a snow white Christmas Eve  
Going home to see her Mama and her Daddy  
With the baby in the backseat."_

Nick frowned. Next to the recorder was a bunch of fresh pink flowers. Nick recognised them as Oleander, a beautiful, sweet smelling but deadly plant. They had been used in a suicide that Nick had investigated a year before.

"_Fifty miles to go and she was running low  
On faith and gasoline  
It'd been a long hard year  
She had a lot on her mind and she didn't pay attention  
She was going way too fast  
Before she knew it she was spinning  
On a thin black sheet of glass." _

Lifting the flowers up Nick found a large metal key. With a gloved hand, the picked it up and inspected it. A small old paper tag hung from the end. On it was written in red ink, _'Third door from the right.'_

Glancing to the end of the room, Nick watched the five doors carefully, and counted the third from the right.

"_She saw both their lives flash before her eyes  
She didn't even have time to cry  
She was so scared  
She threw her hands up in the air..."_

Nick tried the key in the lock, and slowly pushed the door open. Suddenly the music intensified as he stumbled into what looked like a security guards office. The whole wall was covered in screens, one large one in the middle surrounded by smaller ones.

"_Jesus, take the wheel  
Take it from my hands  
Cause I can't do this on my own  
I'm letting go  
So give me one more chance  
To save me from this road I'm on  
Jesus, take the wheel."_

As the chorus of the song ended, the volume dropped and on the middle screen a man appeared.

"Mr. Stokes. Tut, tut, tut. Did your supervisor not tell you to stay with Sara?" he leered.

"Where is Greg?" Nick asked, taking a gamble that the man could hear him. Apparently he could.

"That, Mr. Stokes, is for me to know, and you _not _to find out. Not for a while anyway."

Nick's anger bubbled dangerously, and his voice shook when he demanded. "Where the hell is Greg?"

"Ah, Mr. Stokes. You should listen to the song. You like country, right? It's Carrie Underwood. Can _you _let Jesus take the wheel, Mr. Stokes?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Nick spat, losing his patience.

"Can you put your faith in God to save you and Greg? Can you let Jesus lead?"

"Look," Nick's voice broke. "I want to find Greg!"

The man sighed impatiently. "Fine. Look, he's right behind me."

Nick squinted but the background was black. As he opened his mouth to complain, another screen flickered to life. Greg's pale face filled the screen, and if Nick had to guess, he would say his friend was lying down. His brown eyes flickered open and he blinked twice at what Nick assumed to be the camera.

Nick couldn't help but smile slightly as Greg rolled his eyes into the back of his eye in an obvious groan. Then his eyes focused on something behind the camera, and they lit up with something. Nick couldn't tell if it was hope or sorrow.

"There, see Mr. Stokes? You can see him, you can hear him, he can see you and he can here you. Aren't I kind?"

"Greg?" Nick called hesitantly, unable to tear his eyes from the screen.

Greg swallowed. "Nick. You gonna come get me sometime or not? The rest of the kids got picked up hours ago."

Nick laughed hollowly. "Sure, kid as soon as mommy brings the car home." It broke Nick's heart that Greg still felt ashamed to simply ask for help unless he was forced to, but he knew that embedding his pleas within a joke was how Greg did things.

"Now, Nick. If you want to see Greg again, I suggest you go back to Vegas, onto the strip. Then-"

"Nick, what's the time?" Greg interrupted. The man scowled.

"Mr. Sanders-"

Understanding immediately that Greg needed something, he replied. "Ten thirty am."

"Mr. Stokes! Do not speak to him unless I allow you to, or I will hurt him." Nick could see Greg counting on the screen, but he didn't know why. "Now, Mr. Stokes. Go to the strip, straight past the crime lab-"

Suddenly Greg's eyes lit up in horror. "It's been half an hour." He muttered. Then he started to yell. "NICK! IT'S A TRAP, NICK THEY'RE GONNA GRAB SARA! THIS IS A TRICK, TO TEMPT YOU AWAY FROM SARA, TO GET HER ON HER OWN! HELP HER, NICK, GO, GO!"

Nick looked at Greg, shocked, and despite the man's angry roars, Greg kept shouting. "THEY'RE GONNA TAKE HER FROM THE LAB, SHE'S NOT SAFE!" Greg grunted and was cut off. A hand slipped over the camera and a smooth male voice drawled, "I got it, sir."

"No!" Nick cried as the screen went black. Trusting Greg he fumbled for his cell, but the man stopped him.

"You are too late Mr. Stokes."

A familiar parking lot came into view on one of the other screens, and suddenly every screen lit up with an image of the same place, but from different angles. _The lab's security cameras. _

Nick watched helplessly as Sara walked towards a Silver Toyota Supra. "No!" he moaned, as she was shoved into the back.

"It's all your fault, Mr. Stokes. Had you not gone to Mr. Sanders' house, you and Mr. Sanders would not have been burnt, and Sara Sidle would still be safe and sound. If only you had followed protocol, Mr. Stokes. Now two of your friends are in danger. It's all your fault." The man laughed and the screen went black."

_Don't listen to him, he's a psycho! _Nick's brain screamed.

But it was a broken Nick Stokes which sank to the floor, clutching his cell phone, a single phrase reverberating around his head.

_It's all my fault. _

_**AN. The song at the end was Jesus Take the Wheel by Carrie Underwood. Please leave a review if you can! **_


	11. Chapter 10

**Did I fool you? How'd you like the twist I threw in there SARA was the next target? Did it work? Please let me know! Thanks to lotzalove and marymel for reviewing that last chapter! Love you guys! Please do review! It means the world to be. Also, for anyone who's interested, I made a trailer for this fic! It's on youtube, if you wanna watch**** then just search in youtube for 'csi the kids aren't alright trailer' and it should be the first one up – my name is Hobbsy3796-I can't put in the link, fanfiction wont let me :'(**

**I have 29 reviews for this story which is like the best I have ever had. My goal for the next few chapters is 35 reviews, if you wanna help with that please do! (Nudge, nudge, wink, wink-press the review button and tell me what you think!)**

**Okay, babble over-you know the drill, read, (hopefully) enjoy and review!**

**Chapter Ten**

Catherine felt separate from her body as she shakily dialled a number she knew so well.

"_Hi, you've reached the answer phone of Kate Flanakin; please feel free to leave a message after the tone." _

"Hi, Kate, it's Catherine. I need you to call me back, _now, _okay, this is very important. It's about Cayden."

She flipped down her phone and dialled another number.

"_Hello! This is the Flanakin household; you've reached Kate, Lisa, Cayden, Mia and Leo. Please leave a message and we'll get back to you!" _

Catherine growled angrily as she repeated the message and strode towards Warrick. "That kid's name is Cayden Flanakin. He is six and a half years old. His sister is my god daughter."

Warrick's forehead scrunched up more than Catherine would have thought possible. "Really?"

Catherine nodded. "His mom was a good friend of mine in high school, Kate Brooks. When I started to get into dance and drugs, she went to college, but we stayed in touch. When I was cleaning up, she helped me through it. She was always one of those friends that you think only exist in the movies, you know? Anyway, about a year after I became a CSI, we went on a trip together to LA for the weekend. It was about the furthest I'd ever gone, and we ran into some trouble. The long and the short of it is I saved her life. When we got back to Vegas, her fiancé, Joe Flanakin married her; they had a daughter, Lisa and named me godmother. She's about the same age as Lindsey, and goes to Butterfields with her. Then some years later, Cayden was born, and a few years after that a pair of adorable twins, Mia and Leo. Joe, the husband is currently in prison for child abuse and he was quite a strict parent. He didn't _always_ beat his kids, but manners were everything. You saw Cayden, 'Miss Catherine'."

"Miss? That's a bit old fashioned for a six year old."

"Well, Cayden...Cayden was always, odd. Ever since he was born, he was breaking things, hurting things... I remember visiting Kate when he was six months old. He was very advanced, and he was already crawling. We went into the living room after boiling the kettle to find this gorgeous baby boy sitting on the floor holding his sisters hamster, smashing it against the floor and then he licked up the blood before we got to him. It was horrific, Kate nearly went into hysterics... She confided in me that she was scared her son was a psychopath. So they tried everything. The over the top manners, teaching him gently how to behave, keeping him away from pets, trying to explain other people's feelings. Kate spends more time with Cayden then any of the others, just trying to keep him sane. When his dad was put away and Kate realised what he'd done-"

"You mean she was oblivious to the fact that her husband beat their kids?"

"Well, Cayden and Lisa bath and dress on their own now, and Joe used to look after Mia and Leo. He hid the bruises. She had suspicions, but Lisa denied it, and Cayden lied about everything. Sometimes he said his dad beat him, sometimes he didn't. Anyway, when he was put away, Kate told Cayden that he didn't have to think of Joe as his dad, because a real dad wouldn't do that. She was trying to comfort him."

"But instead she unconsciously set him on a path to find his 'real' father." Warrick realised. "So you think someone manipulated him, this Acolmiztli person?"

Catherine sighed. "It wouldn't take much manipulation to get Cayden to do what he's done. Despite everything, Cayden still kills things, bullies kids, and hits everyone. He is only ever meek like he was for a moment earlier if he sees someone who he believes is in charge."

"You?" Warrick raised his eyebrows

Catherine smirked. "Hey, this isn't the only hierarchy I'm near the top in. I've been around enough for Cayden to respect me."

"Who else will he listen to?"

"His dad, occasionally Kate. Evidently this Acolmiztli person."

"You told Grissom this?"

Catherine sighed. "Yeah. He knew about Kate and her family, I told him about Cayden years ago. He put two and two together in the corridor, I only confirmed it."

"Have you heard from Nick?" Warrick asked in a low voice. Catherine looked at him and he wouldn't meet her eyes but she could read the fear in his.

Catherine shook her head. "I don't know if I'm more angry or worried."

Warrick looked up at her.

"He was supposed to stay with Sara." she explained.

"Something was on that tape, Catherine. I bet Greg was in some kind of pain. If they threatened Greg's life, told Nick to risk _his _neck to come save _Greg..._"

Catherine closed her eyes. "He'd come in a heartbeat. It's the perfect trap."

"This is bull shit!" Warrick kicked the wall behind him, making Henry in Toxicology jump. "Greg and Sara have been kidnapped by goddamn psychos, your best friend's son shot me in the arm so I can't do anything without it hurting like hell-"

Warrick stopped as Catherine twirled to look at him. "You told me it didn't hurt."

"Cath, we have too much to worry about, we do not need to waste time with a sore shoulder." Warrick's attitude immediately changed as he spoke gently but firmly.

Catherine gritted her teeth. "You shouldn't be here."

Warrick sighed deeply. "Catherine I have been through this with Grissom. I _have _to be here-"

"That's what I mean." Catherine's voice broke. "You shouldn't _have _to be here. Greg shouldn't be kidnapped, Lindsey shouldn't be in hospital, Sara shouldn't be in the trunk of a tiny sports car, Nick shouldn't be kidnapped, and you...you should _not _have a bullet wound inflicted by a six year old effing boy."

Warrick used his good right arm to pull Catherine into a warm embrace. "We'll find them."

Catherine knew Warrick well enough to be able to hear the sorrow and fear in his voice.

"We have to." She whispered.

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Nick stared at the cell phone in his hand. _It's all my fault. _

_So get up and make it right, Pancho. _

Nick sighed. It was his dad's trademark reply to any bad situation. If you did something wrong, do everything you can to fix it.

With trembling hands and a self loathing heart Nick pressed one on speed dial.

The phone picked up after a couple of seconds. "Nick?"

"Grissom." Nick winced, his throat ached from fear and tears and his voice sounded wrong.

"Nick, where the hell are you?"

"The Chamberlin Warehouse." Nick replied miserably.

"Nick, since you _left,_ Sara's been abducted, right out of the-"

"Crime lab parking lot?" Nick finished. "I know. I'm so, so, sorry Grissom. They...they tricked me. Said they'd kill Greg."

"We will talk about this when you get back to the lab. No stops Stokes. No stops."

Nick winced at Grissom's use of his surname. "Yes, sir."

Dragging himself to the car, Nick replayed Sara's abduction in his mind and shook his head. He knew what it felt like, being trapped in a tiny space, unable to escape. Claustrophobia had never followed Nick until his own abduction. After being buried alive, he thought he had a good enough excuse for disliking small spaces.

Nick's radio came on automatically as his car started, and as he fumbled with clumsy fingers to turn it off, the station switched from country and Nick remembered talking to Sara a the week before about music on the way back from a crime scene.

"_Isn't it funny how music can express emotions that people can't?" _

"_What?" he had asked Sara_

"_You know what I mean? How you can turn on the radio, and there'll be a song that will perfectly explain exactly how you're feeling." Sara had elaborated. _

"_Well, look who's a secret romantic." Nick had teased, and Sara had smacked him before changing the subject._

Nick's eyes watered at the memory. "God, Sara. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to say those things. God, you probably hate me right now, you have good cause, I guess."

"_If I could turn back time, _

_If I could find a way, _

_I'd take back those word that hurt you, _

_And you'd stay." _

Nick stared at his radio in shock. Sara had been right as usual. Cher completely summed up everything he felt. He would do anything to take back what he had said to Sara. He had hurt her, and allowed her to be kidnapped. What sort of friend was he?

"_I don't know why I did the things I did  
I don't know why I said the things I said" _

But he did.

_"Pride's like a knife, it can cut deep inside  
Words are like weapons, they wound sometimes."_

He'd hurt one of his best friends.

_"I didn't really mean to hurt you_  
_I didn't wanna see you go."_

Honestly, he didn't.

"_I know I made you cry,_

_But baby-" _

He angrily turned off the radio. It was ironic, the song choice, but he couldn't listen. As he drove back to the crime lab in silence, he thought about what was happening to Sara and Greg, and he felt ill.

A brown eyed woman watched him from her cosy Toyota Supra, and smiled slightly to herself as Nick Stokes began to fall into an abyss of self loathing.

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Sara stumbled down the corridor with a blindfold shoved tightly over her eyes, her hands tied behind her back, and a tight gag in her mouth. The man had dragged her from the car and thrown her to the floor to tie her up, but Sara was determined not to be afraid of her captors.

Finally, they stopped moving and walked through a door. Sara heard someone groan sadly as she was shoved into a room. _Greg! _She thought hopefully. Then she wondered if she was just being selfish again – she was _hoping _that her young friend was there so she wouldn't be alone.

"Ah, Miss. Sidle. Nice that you have decided to come visit." A smooth, cold voice said.

Sara's sarcastic reply was muffled by the gag, but her intentions came across.

"Tut, tut, Miss. Sidle. Manners, please. Otherwise, I will just leave you with Heracles for a while."

Sara had no idea what that meant, but Greg's familiar voice let out a strangled warning cry that was enough to shut her up.

"Much better. Itzli, take a hold of Miss. Sidle. Heracles, put these on _that._"

Sara felt the hands holding her arms change, and after a moment of silence she was able to pick up an increase in someone's breathing-she guessed Greg's. There was a soft grunt, followed by a whimper.

"Gg!" Sara's muffled call to Greg made someone laugh.

"She protective over you, G?" the voice asked. Sara recognised it as the man who kidnapped her. "Want me to fix that?"

"Le-e-leave her alone!" Greg's voice stuttered, and Sara's heart swelled.

"Ooh, you're protective over her too? Cute." The man behind Sara laughed, and Sara struggled for a minute before standing still to show that she wasn't impressed.

"Itzli! Heracles! Remove the blindfold!" the cold voice ordered, and Sara winced as the man holding her ripped it off, taking a few stray hairs with it.

The first thing Sara saw was Greg, and she felt like she'd been punched. He was tied, eagle spread to a cross shaped table, wearing nothing but a pair of black boxers. His stomach was raw and red, and blood was seeping from the ravaged skin. Circling the damage was a deep wound in a perfect circle, which was also bleeding. On the side of his head was a painful looking gash which seemed to be the source of a slither of blood making its way down Greg's cheek. His eyes were filled with terror and his mouth hung half open as he stared at Sara. A single tear was half way down his cheek, and his lips were moving.

Sara could lip read well enough to pick up the words. _"I'm sorry you're here." _

Two tears leaked from Sara's eyes as she shook her head. _"Don't be." _She urged with her eyes. Greg looked as if he wanted to look away, but he kept his eyes on Sara.

"So, Miss. Sidle."

As the owner of the cold voice stood in front of her, Sara's eyes widened. The man's face was covered in tattoos, and in truth, his face alone would have made Sara cross the street if she saw him walking toward her.

"I am Acolmiztli. This is Heracles," he gestured to a giant man who placed his enormous hands on Greg's shoulders. Sara couldn't miss Greg's shudder. "And this is Itzli."

Sara craned her neck for a moment to look at the man standing behind her. He flashed a smile at her and she stared back at him. He would have been extraordinarily good looking if not for the fact he was holding a gun to her head.

"You're trials haven't yet started, so I have no problem with the two of you having a little catch up." Acolmiztli smiled, and snapped his fingers, and Heracles left Greg and took Itzli's place behind Sara whilst the smaller man moved to the front. Sara felt the cold metal of a knife slide up her cheek.

"Sara! No! Leave her alone!" Greg cried from the table, but he was ignored. "_Sara!"_

She flinched as the knife tore through the gag and scraped her skin at the same time. She could hear Greg hyperventilating, Itzli blocked her view- despite being smaller than Heracles, he was still a lot bigger than Sara, she guessed about Warrick's size.

Itzli smiled as he placed his hand on Sara's jaw and squeezed until she opened her mouth. Greg choked as Itzli eased the barrel of the gun into Sara's mouth.

"_No! SARA!" _he struggled with all his might to free himself, but however hard he pulled, the bonds attaching him to the table didn't even budge.

"They say it is very traumatizing to see a loved one die. Do you want little Greg to see _you _die, Sara?" Itzli's voice was almost hypnotic, but Sara slowly shook her head. "Okay. Then stay very still."

Sara's breathing quickened as her hands were untied and left to drop idly to her sides. "Don't move." Heracles warned as he removed her jacket.

"Please don't!" Greg begged as Heracles removed Sara's top, leaving her in a small, light blue tank top. He couldn't stand it, but he couldn't tear his eyes away.

Sara shivered as Heracles pulled off her jeans and ran his hands down her legs. Suddenly he moved away, and Itzli walked towards her, forcing her backwards until she reached the wall. Then he slid the gun out of her mouth and backed away. She shivered-the room was cold now she was only wearing a tank top and underpants.

"Have fun!" Acolmiztli waved as the door slammed shut, leaving Greg and Sara alone in the room.

"Sara! Are...are you okay?"

"Jesus, Greg!" Sara's voice shook as she ran to her friend. "What did they do to you?"

"I didn't want you to come..." Greg sobbed angrily. "I wanted everyone to be okay."

"Greg, this wasn't your fault. What did they_ do_?" Sara's eyes filled with tears as Greg shook his head avoided her glance. She glanced around the room. It was more like a dirty cell, about four meters by four meters. Apart from the strange cross Greg was attached to, there was a single, exposed light bulb hanging from the tall ceiling. There was also an empty bench attached to the wall, and a small chair in the corner, but other than that the room was empty.

Inspecting the ropes tying Greg to the table, Sara realised that they were tied underneath the table. As she began to work on the knots, she spoke softly.

"I've always been good with knots. If you look at them logically, it doesn't ever take too long."

"Lucky you." Greg huffed. "I'm hopeless with knots."

Sara laughed gently, releasing each of Greg's limbs. As soon as she had done so he tumbled of the table into her arms.

For a long moment the two friends embraced, then they stumbled to the back of the cell and collapsed in sync against the wall, sinking down until they were sat next to each other leaning on the wall.

"They...they looked at me." Greg's voice was reserved, and Sara waited for him to go on. "The man, Acol-whats-his-face. He...touched...everything."

Sara put her arm around the trembling young man and pulled him towards her. Resting her head on his she murmured. "Thank you for trying to protect me. It means a lot Greg."

Greg laughed humorlessly. "But I couldn't do anything."

"Didn't your mom ever tell you it's the thought that counts?"

Greg was silent for a moment as he leaned into Sara. "Yes."

"Oh, Greg." Sara felt the tears run down her cheeks and she stopped.

"Sara? Are you hurt?" Greg panicked as he saw her tears.

"No, no!" She assured him. "You are."

"It's okay... Does it make me a horrible person if I'm a little grateful that I'm not on my own anymore?" he asked hesitantly.

"No. I'm _glad_ you're not on your own. Besides, Catherine, Warrick, Nick and Grissom will find us."

"Don't forget the lab techs!" Greg chimed.

"Well," Sara said, knowing it would bug Greg.

"Hey!" Greg protested, before nestling his head into Sara's shoulder. "I missed you all."

Sara pulled him closer for his security and her own. "We missed you too. I missed you a lot."

Greg smiled into her soft skin. "You know you have your own scent?"

"What?" she frowned at Greg's typical wacky subject change.

"It's nice. Smells like Sara."

"What does 'Sara' smell like?"

Greg thought for a moment. "Good things."

"Like what?" Sara asked sceptically, and Greg looked up at her with big brown eyes.

"Home."

**BTW, this isn't turning into a song fic, I just wanted to explore how songs can express your feelings in real life. Just to say. Plus, the first verse of that song (_If I could turn back time_, by Cher) really does sum up how I think Nick would feel. Anyways, please review! **


	12. Chapter 11

**Hey! 33 reviews all together! Soo close people! Thanks so so much to C.H.W.13, Marymel and lotzalove, my loyal reviewers! Love you all so so much! (special thanks to lotzalove for watching the trailer, glad you liked it!)**

**Just a note: this is NOT a romance in any way. I love Sandle, and Snickers and GSR and YoBling, but this story is exploring the **_**family **_**bonds that the characters have rather than romantic ones. There will be mild flirting, but that is about it. **

**Anyways, Read, Enjoy, Review! **

**Chapter Eleven**

Nick dragged his feet like a seven year old through the crime lab to Grissom's office. His head hung low, and he knocked the door with a shaking hand.

Grissom looked up as Nick crept in, and he opened his mouth to give Nick the reprimand of a lifetime when he saw the look in Nick's eyes and stopped.

Grissom had seen Nick upset. It happened a lot when Nick got too attached to a case. Grissom had seen Nick confused-it came with the job being puzzled every day. Grissom had also seen Nick feeling guilty. If he messed something up, or felt like he was letting Grissom down. But Grissom had never seen the man in front of him before.

Nick's eyes were filled with the deepest self loathing Grissom had ever seen. He had only seen the likes of it in the eyes of people rescued from suicide attempts, or survivor's guilt at its most extreme. His expression was haunted and Grissom knew that there was no exaggeration, just the raw emotion.

His reproach died in his mouth as he stared at the man in his door. "Nick..."

"Sir, I'm sorry. I'm so, so, sorry, I didn't mean to leave Sara, I thought I'd be the only one who could get hurt, I...I tried to save Greg, they told me –"

"Nick, don't call me sir." Grissom said softly, standing up and walking over to the young man. He had already worked out what was on the tape. "They told you they'd kill Greg if you didn't go?"

Nick nodded wordlessly, tears of guilt falling down his cheeks.

"I don't blame you, Nick." Grissom stated quietly.

Nick looked at him. "It's my fault."

"How?" Grissom queried evenly.

"I...I went to the warehouse. I got Greg burnt... I went to Greg's house."

"Nick stop!" Grissom ordered, placing his hands on Nick's shoulders. "I _told_ you to go to Greg's. That was not your fault. You are not accountable for any of the things that _they _do."

A single tear fell shamelessly down Nick's cheeks. "Grissom, they're... they're gone and those _people _are doing god knows what to them. God knows what, Grissom I let them take Sara. _Sara!" _

"Nicky, listen. They are trying to break you. If they break you, you can't help Greg or Sara, okay?"

Nick choked and pulled away from Grissom. "Okay, okay."

Grissom strengthened his grip on Nick's shoulder. "You can do this, Nicky. You can do it."

Catherine walked into the Grissom's office and her anger with Nick crumbled at the sight of him barely holding himself together. "Nicky!" she half gasped, half sobbed. Absentmindedly moving Grissom's arms away she wrapped her arms around Nick, dragging him into her arms and holding him close.

Nick collapsed into her embrace and sobbed. "I'm-"

"Don't even say it Nicky. Don't even goddamn say it." She grasped Nick's head and pressed it to shoulder.

Nick cried into Catherine's shoulder for a long minute, before they simultaneously broke the embrace.

Nick wiped his eyes and cleared his throat. _Time to get my lazy butt into gear and put my walls back up._ He looked at his two superiors. "Let's go get our family back."

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Greg's stomach rumbled loudly, and he glanced at Sara apologetically. "Sorry."

She laughed. "It's alright, have you eaten since you got here?"

Greg laughed darkly. "The last time I ate was with you."

Sara cast her mind back. "Ouch."

"When was the last time _you _ate?" Greg pressed.

"The only thing I have eaten since the burgers we had was a protein bar at five am. It's now about four pm." Sara sighed. "And it just caught up with me."

"Sorry." Greg said guiltily.

"I couldn't." Sara murmured after a moment. "I couldn't eat, I couldn't rest... you mean a lot to a lot of people, Greg, you know that?"

Greg felt his cheeks redden slightly. "Well, I do have that aura of amazingness hanging around my head."

Sara laughed and squeezed Greg's shoulder. "Course, Greg. Of course."

"Aura of amazingness?" a voice scoffed. Sara and Greg's heads snapped up to look at a tall leggy figure looming over them. Curly red hair tumbled halfway down the back of the woman. "That the best you could do, G?"

Greg instinctively curled his fingers around the edge of Sara's vest, an action that didn't go unnoticed by the brunette. She gave no indication that she'd noticed, though, other than tightening her grip around her friend's shoulders.

"Who are you?" Sara spat cautiously.

"Why don't you ask G?"

Sara glanced at Greg. "I don't know her name." He mumbled. "But I call her Victoria. Like _Twilight_."

"Oh, I see the resemblance. She was a bitch too."

Victoria raised her eyebrows and Greg stiffened. "Itzli told me you had attitude."

"What is with the stupid names, anyway?" Sara exploded.

Victoria laughed. "I'd be a little more polite if I were you. G, please stand up."

Without hesitating, Greg rose.

"Good. Come here. Sara, you stay there."

Greg glanced frantically at Sara, who shook her head. Victoria pulled out a shiny gun from a satchel hanging on her left shoulder. "Acolmiztli bought it for me two hours ago. I cannot _wait _to try it. So don't tempt me. G, here _now, _or Miss Sidle will end up with a bullet in the ankle. Non fatal, but I assure you very painful."

Greg slowly walked up to Victoria, who placed the gun back into the satchel, and pulling out two chains. She took Greg's left hand gently in her own and encased it in a solid iron shackle. She led him to the far wall and Greg saw two solid metal rings in the wall, about a meter up and three meters apart from each other. Victoria back Greg up to the wall and used a solid steel carabineer to attach the end of the chain linked to his left arm to the left ring in the wall. She then did the same with his right arm, and Greg squirmed. Victoria shoved him to the floor and his knees bent awkwardly underneath his body.

"Greg!" Sara cried, getting up as he gasped in pain.

As quick as lightning, Victoria had a knife under Greg's throat, her fingers entwined in his head. "Sit down, bitch."

Sara slumped to the floor, and the knife was put back in the bag. Victoria then pulled a small welding tool out of her bag and welded the carabineers shut. She stepped back and admired her handiwork for a moment before duct taping Greg's mouth shut and using more tape to attach a small metal object to his stomach, on the edge of the cut that circled the burns. The cut had been punishment for trying to help Sara.

"No noise, G? Okay?" she murmured sweetly, before turning to Sara. "Stand up, bitch."

Sara stood, thinking up a plan of attack if she could fight the single woman captor. However Victoria pulled out a cell phone. "See that thing taped to Greg's stomach, Sidle? It's a small bomb inside a cell phone. You try anything, I press one once and that bomb goes off. Now if it is any comfort to you, it won't kill poor little Greg. But there are many types of burns, and the most painful are flames, explosions, steam and acid burns. And there is only one of those that has not yet been inflicted on Greg's stomach. I assure you Sara, one wrong moved and it will."

Sara nodded, defeated. "What do you want me to do?"

Victoria smiled and clicked her fingers. The door opened and Heracles walked in, pushing a large medieval contraption. He winked at Victoria after placing it in the centre of the room and leaving. Sara stared at the rack in shock.

"Get on." Victoria moved her finger over the one button on the cell phone, and Sara hauled herself to the ancient torture device.

In a flash, Victoria had tied her arms to the top of the rack and her feet to the bottom. Trying desperately to keep calm, Sara met Greg's eyes. "It's okay." She mouthed.

He shook his head, tears threatening to spill from the corners of his eyes. He angrily wiped his face across his shoulder and looked at Sara. He felt horrible. Sara had put herself on that thing so that Victoria wouldn't hurt him. That seemed to be their MO, he thought. The only reason he'd got onto the table was so that they wouldn't rape Sara or Catherine.

"Your technology is a little out of date." Sara hissed.

Victoria giggled. "Why replace a system that works? Anyway, we modified the rack. It used to take a lot of strength, and I need my hands free." Victoria pressed a button on the side of the rack and with an eerie creak it began to pull, stretching Sara further and further apart. She began gasping after a half a minute, and by the full minute two things were close to unbearable- the pain and the waiting.

Suddenly with an almighty _CLUNK _the pain became excruciating as the machine began stretching her beyond what nature intended. And still it slowly got worse.

"_Just get it over with!" _Sara shrieked. She could vaguely her Greg's muffled shouts, but she didn't care. She _couldn't _care, it hurt too much.

Victoria smiled as Sara's screams got louder and louder until the machine was close to physically breaking her. Her arms were pulled almost from their sockets and Victoria could practically see the straining muscles through Sara's skin. Irritated that Acolmiztli forbid her from causing permanent damage with the rack, she pulled up Sara's vest so it hung on her arms behind her head, leaving the skin on her stomach and lower chest exposed for her weapon of choice.

Sara's screaming increased as the antique Cat O'Nine Tails collided with her bare skin.

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

"So, I have an APB out on the car that took Sara, it's only a matter of time, and I'm trying to track down this Frost woman. What have you got?" Brass asked.

"_Not much, just some blood in the parking lot that may belong to our killer. Thing is on the video cameras Sara was shoved straight into the trunk, she didn't bleed anywhere near there and the perp was behind her, so it probably just came from an employee with a nosebleed. I'm still combing through evidence from the Noche y Dia shooting." _Warrick's voice crackled down the phone

Brass snorted. "Good luck with that. I think Sara described it as 'An Abundance of Nothing.'"

"_Sounds like something she would say. And it's a great way to sum it up. We have shitloads of evidence, the lab techs are bogged down, but so far none if it seems useful."_

"Well, the best of luck. Take care, Warrick." Brass sighed as Warrick returned the sentiment and he put the phone down. He had had many a dispute with Warrick over the years, but he had to admit the man was growing on him.

"Brass!" Sofia cried, swinging into his office around the doorframe. "I found her! Anya Frost."

Brass leapt out of his seat and followed Sofia to the first interrogation room, where a tall, beautiful brunette sat admiring her nails nervously. She had chubby cheeks which gave her face an endearing quality, and she wore no make-up. Her eyes were slightly red, and it looked like she had been crying.

"Miss Frost?"

"Please, call me Anya." The woman smiled at Brass as he took a seat across from her.

"Anya, then. I am Detective Jim Brass. Care to tell me why it's taken my guys fourteen hours to find you for this little talk?"

The woman frowned. "Sorry, I didn't know you were looking for me. I drove up to Lake Mead, a little isolated spot I know, to clear my head. I mean it was such a shock, those poor kids..." Anya's voice broke.

"Well, maybe it was a shock." Brass said.

"What are you insinuating?"

"I have evidence that you texted these students to tell them to stay away from the school two days ago. Around the time of the shooting."

"What?" the young woman looked baffled. She glanced at the list of names. "Oh, those guys. I don't even have their numbers."

"Well, I have phone records..."

"Detective, my phone was stolen a week ago. I reported it to the police."

"Maybe that was part of the plan? Throw away suspicion?" Brass edged, and the woman snorted.

"Strange as it sounds, I appreciate your thoroughness, detective. I want the people guilty of this atrocity to be brought to justice. But I am sorry; you're wasting your time. The police _found _the phone; some kid was carrying it when he got hit by a car. My phone was been destroyed in the crash."

Brass put his head in his hands for a moment. "Perfect." He muttered under his breath.

Anya hesitated. "Is someone in danger?"

Brass looked up and frowned. "What makes you say that?"

"My sister used to be a cop. She explained to me the difference between interrogation techniques for different crimes, different suspects...this feels like a missing persons interview."

At Brass' look she back tracked. "I'm sorry, I'm probably totally wrong. But, I think I know how those texts got there."

"How?"

"My sister, Alexa. She uses this website, I forget what it's called, but it lets you type in the mobile you are calling from. She has a friend, Harry, I think, who is an internet whiz. Someone like him could have easily overridden the system to accept a dead phone. Alexa has never been able to keep a stable job. I feel awful for telling you, but I feel like I have to. Alex has always been jealous of my job so she tries to sabotage it. I don't think she had anything to do with the shooting, but she knows I like talking to the kids, and the texts sound like the stupid prank she would play."

Brass nodded. "Okay, you're free to go."

Anya smiled and thanked Brass before leaving the lab.

She went into the first casino she found, entering the woman's toilets. There, she pulled off the neat brown wig and let her shoulder length red curls tumble out of the hairnet. She pulled out the neat little pieces of soft plastic stuff her sister had given her to raise her cheekbones, and she wiped off the make-up darkening her eyebrows.

At first glance, she was a different person. Curly red hair, smooth face, blonde eyebrows, and with a dash of lipstick, eyeliner and mascara, perfect make-up. She looked like a movie star. She looked like her twin again. Her voice was bubbly as she sang, "Hey, it's Anya. Yeah, I'm onto it. Is Yelira in with the two little rascals?" there was a pause. "I talked to Brass. Yeah, they'll probably look for Alex. They have nothing else." Another pause. "See you then."

Anya Frost walked out of the casino and into her car. She laughed as she drove away, sending a text to a certain Gil Grissom. _Check ur detectives. They let ur suspect walk +guess what? Shes guilty _

Laughing to herself, she watched the video link her sister was sending her live from a hidden camera to her built in sat nav. Ribbons of blood ran all the way across a pale white chest and stomach. The woman jerked repeatedly as Anya's twin lashed her repeatedly with a nine tailed whip. Sara Sidle's screaming face made Anya lust for sound. She watched the road absently as she left the city, her eyes flicking constantly to the screen. She was impressed. It took half an hour before the Sidle girl passed out, her head lolling lifelessly to the side.

As she drove further into the desert, she passed a random patrol car and winked flirtatiously at the young patrolman.

He winked back and checked her speed, but decided to be lenient to the beautiful woman in the silver Toyota supra speeding into the distance


	13. Chapter 12

**Hi! I'm back. Wasn't gonna update til Friday, but I messed up my history exam and needed a pick me up, so I wrote this chapter. Bits of it may seem random and it's a little short, but it builds up to the good stuff, I swear! **

**I BEAT MY TARGET! I HAVE 37 REVIEWS! YAY!T hanks so much to si-te-hace-feliz, Marymel, C.H.W.13 and lotzalove for reviewing the last chapter, and thanks to you lovely people that alterted my story! Special thanks this time goes to C.H.W.13, thanks so much for the nice things you said, glad you like the video! **

**I know there are more of you reading this story. Even if you don't like it, please tell me what you think! My new target is 50 reviews at least by the end of the story, wonder if I#ll make it. You can help, wink wink. **

**Anyway, enough of my babble, read, enjoy, review! **

**Chapter Twelve**

Catherine knocked firmly on the door to the Flanakin's small house in Henderson for the third time. "Kate? It's Catherine..."

Warrick sighed and rubbed his eyes after a long moment. "So now what do we do? Go back to the lab?"

"Ah," Catherine held up her hand. "Spare key?"

They entered the apartment and Catherine drew in a breath. Blood splatter lined the walls.

"KATE?" Catherine yelled, taking off down the hall and disappearing into a room on the right.

"Catherine!" Warrick cried, pulling out his gun. He followed her down the hall and heard a strangled cry. "Cath!"

He raced into the room on the right and found Catherine checking the wrist of a pretty woman about Catherine's age. Her throat was slashed and her eyes wide open on the floor in a neat living room.

"Oh, Cath..."

"Her kids...her kids!" Catherine whirled round to face Warrick. "Lisa and the twins are missing!"

"They wouldn't go with their brother?"

Catherine shook her head vigorously, her eyes brimming with tears. "Mia and Leo were _scared _of Cayden. Lisa looked after them."

"I'll call Brass." Warrick murmured, coming close to Catherine giving her a quick but meaningful hug. "Then let's clear the place."

Catherine nodded and began to search the house as Warrick called Brass. She walked into the kitchen and cleared the garage. She signalled to Warrick that she was going upstairs, and he began clearing downstairs.

Upon entering her goddaughter's bedroom, Catherine couldn't help but sob. Lisa Flanakin lay face down on the floor, blood pooling around her. Catherine closed her eyes.

"_Ca..." _

Catherine slowly walked further into the room.

"_Ca...Ca..._Caf..."

Catherine stared at the girl in shock. "Warrick! Call the paramedics! Now!"

"Caf..." Catherine could see blood bubbling out of the girl's mouth as she struggled to raise her head. She raced to her god daughter's side and gently rolled her over. Her lower jaw was smashed and her top was bloody and torn.

"Oh, Lisa. It's gonna be okay, sweetie. I got you. Oh, baby how did this happen?" she asked, half rhetorically.

"Cay..." Lisa's eyes fluttered shut for a moment. "Cayden."

Catherine gently pulled up the girl's top to expose a decent sized knife wound. Instantly she ripped a off her top and pressed it to Lisa's stomach to try and stop the bleeding. She grabbed a scarf from the floor by the bed and wrapped it around the thirteen year olds stomach to tie the top in place, before cradling her head in her lap and gently stroking her hair.

"Okay, honey. No one is going to hurt you now; my friend Warrick has called an ambulance."

As if on cue, Warrick appeared in the doorway, looking at the scene before him in slight shock. "ETA five minutes for that ambulance." After looking at Catherine for a minute, Warrick spoke gently to the girl. "Sweetie, do you know where the twins are?"

Lisa's eyes closed in thought. "N-n-no." A tear fought its way through the blood down her right cheek.

"It's okay, Lisa." Catherine mumbled, and Warrick went to check in the other bedrooms. He came back shaking his head.

"They're not here."

Brass and Sofia arrived at the same time as the ambulance. Catherine went to the hospital with her goddaughter, who had panicked when Catherine had tried to leave, and Sofia had gone with her. She had joked that it was because she wore the same size clothes as Catherine and would be most suitable to replace the older woman's clothing, but everyone present knew that no one wanted any CSI to be alone. Brass stayed at the crime scene with Warrick.

"Now, don't take this as an offence, Brown, but I am under strict instructions not to let you out of my sight." Brass smirked. "Otherwise Grissom will have my arse."

Warrick nodded. "Let's get going. The mom, Kate is in the living room."

After a few minutes of dusting, swabbing and measuring, a muffled crash came from upstairs. "Did you hear that?" Warrick hissed to Brass.

Brass nodded and the two men drew their guns and climbed the stairs. It took them seconds to clear every room.

"What the hell..." Warrick trailed off.

_BANG! _Warrick and Brass aimed their guns at the ceiling. "The goddamn attic!" Warrick cursed. "I forgot to clear to goddamn attic."

"Las Vegas police!" Brass called, pulling across a nearby chair to access the small hatch to the attic at the end of the hall. He looked at Warrick, who mouthed, "one...two..._three!" _

A small voice screamed bloody murder as Brass ripped his way, gun first into the attic.

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Looking at the same computer screen for hours with no results often got boring, but Mandy did not think she had ever been more desperate for a hit. When Warrick had dropped her off all of the prints from the shooting, she had felt obligated to run them because it was a case involving children. Well, that and the fact that Warrick had promised to get Greg back for the numerous pranks he had played on her in the past weeks.

But when Greg got snatched, the obligation turned into an obsession.

Greg was her friend. A close friend, too. The CSIs saw each other as a family; everyone knew that, even if the CSIs themselves didn't admit it. But no one knew how close the lab techs were. They were almost as close as the CSIs, at least, Mandy, Archie, and Greg were. Over the years, Henry and Wendy had quickly settled into the group. Hodges, not so much, but Mandy was sure he liked them more than he let on, especially Wendy.

Despite being in the field, Greg still hung out with them on the rare occasions they went out together, and he still acted exactly the same around the lab techs, keeping his friends close. Yeah, those five were the closest, but at the end of the day, even Hodges would have any threatened lab tech's back, even Greg's.

Mandy hadn't known it was possible to be so worried about someone and still function. She had spoken to Archie and he had admitted to her what he heard on the phone once Nick had returned and announced it had been a trick. She had been scared when Nick got kidnapped, they were sort of friends, but Greg had always had a special place in her heart. As she thought about it, that was probably true of most people in the lab.

_Beep! Beep! Beep! _Her computer sang.

Mandy gasped. "Yes-yes-yes-YES!" she felt like whooping as she smashed the print button. Wendy came running in from DNA, looking hopeful.

"Did you find something?" she asked.

"A print! It was on the door, and it came back to a registered sex offender...there is no way a guy like this should be anywhere near a school!"

"So it probably came from a perp?" Wendy's eyes lit up. Despite only working in the crime lab for five weeks, she already had made friends with Greg and the other CSIs, and she was worried as hell.

"YES!" Mandy cried, and Wendy's face cracked into a smile for the first time in sixteen hours.

"Hallelujah!" she whooped childishly.

Mandy reached for her pager, but saw Nick walking down the corridor. She bounded to the door and caught his attention by literally singing four words that the distraught CSI needed to hear.

"_We got a match!" _

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Sara's eyes fluttered open to the sound of muffled crying. Her stomach felt like it was on fire. With fuzzy vision she scanned the room, and after blinking a few times she saw Greg, still tied to the wall, his head hung low. His whole body was shaking with rickety sobs that fought to escape the duct tape still on his mouth. She licked her lips and drew in a deep breath, pushing the pain to the back of her mind.

"Greg?" she breathed, her stomach protesting at the speech.

Greg raised his head to look at Sara with horrified, guilt stricken eyes.

"You okay?"

The strange sound that came from Greg was a stifled mix of a sob and a chuckle, and he nodded, jutting his chin towards Sara sadly.

"I'll live."

Greg exhaled and turned his head.

Sara looked at him. "Greg? This wasn't your fault. I'll be fine. I promise."

Greg just looked at her. Then he turned away.

"Greg?" he refused to meet her eyes. "Greg? Please look at me. Greg?"

Greg sighed internally. He knew it would be seconds before he wavered. Even after getting over the crush he had on Sara, he couldn't resist her puppy dog eyes or her sad voice. It got under his skin every time. And he knew she knew it.

"Greg? Please."

He lolled his head towards her as if rolling his eyes and managed to raise his shoulders in a dramatic shrug.

Sara smiled at him. "Thank you. For doing what you did. This is a lot less painful than a bullet in the ankle. Plus, I can still walk."

Greg shook his head.

"At least now we match." Sara glanced at the two mangled stomachs.

Greg scoffed.

"We...they'll find us, Greg. We found Nick."

Greg rolled his eyes and started twitching his mouth rapidly. "MMMRGH!" he hated how helpless he felt. He couldn't even get goddamn tape off his mouth. He stretched his jaws from side to side but to no avail.

"Don't take all the skin of your lips, Greg."

He looked up at Sara and she smiled slightly. "Hey, Greg, do you smell Blue Hawaiian?"

Fuming, Greg began to rant. "First, they kidnap me. Then they kidnap one of my best friends. Then they _steal my coffee!" _

Sara didn't understand a word of the muffled rage, but she got the meaning.

"Be sure to ask for the coffee back when we take them to court."

Greg snorted a laugh and they were both quiet for a moment. Then Greg began to twitch his shoulder. Suddenly he started squirming, confusion pushing his eyebrows together.

"Greg? What's wrong?" at the horrified look in his eyes, Sara began to look for the source of his panic. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the fire ants climbing over Greg's shoulder. Suddenly she was watching Nick being eaten alive in that goddamn coffin. At Greg's terrified cries she snapped back to the present. "Okay, hang on Greg, Grissom said if you stay still they won't bite as much!"

She was relieved to see that the bugs were a lot smaller than the ones that attacked Nick. However, it didn't appease Greg.

"Mm mmermic!" He screamed desperately to Sara. She frowned.

"You're what?"

"Mm _mmermic_! Bmdy mmermic!" His throat ached with protest at straining to get it heard through the tape. Her flashed back a while, to the first time he really spoke to Nick after his kidnapping.

"_You need someone to talk to or do you just wanna go beat my ass at baseball?" he had asked Nick, who had smiled at him. _

"_Maybe a bit of both. You're a great friend, G." _

"_Thank you, thank you very much!" Greg put on his very best Elvis voice, and Nick laughed. True, it wasn't a normal Nick laugh, but Greg took it as a good sign that his friend was laughing and joking with him. _

_They had wandered down to a park with the intention of playing baseball, before realising that they forgot their stuff, so instead they sat by the river and talked for a bit. _

"_You know my biggest fear when I was little?" Nick had asked Greg. _

_Sensing what was about to come, Greg said, "Sesame Street? Cause I'm telling you, that bird yellow bird thing..." _

_Nick had just shaken him head and laughed, before sobering up and saying, "being eaten alive. Nothing scared me more. Now it's happened, you know." _

_Greg had sat in silence for a moment. "Well, at least your body handled it better than mine would've..." _

That was when Greg had told Nick what he was trying to get Sara to understand now. Nick had agreed with him that Greg would have reacted worse. Sara's eyes lit up in horror as she finally understood his words.

"_I'm allergic! _Badly _allergic." _

Ever since he was a kid he had been allergic to most bug bites. Normally he could handle it, just brush it off and wait for it to go away. But he reacted badly to fire ants- he had been five when he fell into the ant hill and ended up in hospital. That time his mother was _not _over reacting.

The fire ant pain wasn't his main concern though. That would be that his struggles had loosened the bandages around his stomach, leaving bits of the burnt flesh exposed.

The ants were headed straight for it.


	14. Chapter 13

**Thanks so much to lotzalove, si-te-hace-feliz, C.H.W.13, W. S. C. Magica De Spell, Shannon , Marymel and sweetgurl4you for reviewing the last chapter. Thanks so much for your support, it means a lot. Another fairly short build up chapter, next chapter will majorly up the angst and action, methinks ;-) **

**So, read, enjoy, review! **

**Chapter Thirteen**

Warrick jumped as the scream penetrated his ears.

"I found the kids!" Brass called, then his voice softened, "its okay, sweetie, I'm a police man. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise."

The ceiling creaked as Brass thoroughly searched the ceiling. After a moment, he called. "Warrick, can you give me a hand? Stand on the chair?"

Warrick stood on the chair as Brass handed him a tiny child. Wincing, he only used his right arm to lift down a little girl, whose frightened arms held him at a distance. He set her carefully down on the floor. "Stay there, princess. Is your name Mia?"

She nodded suspiciously.

"Next!" Brass called, and Warrick stepped back on the chair, to receive a sobbing boy the same size as Mia.

"Hey, it's okay. It's okay. Are you Leo?"

The boy nodded.

"Do you know Catherine Willows?" He asked gently

"Auntie Cafwin?" Mia asked hesitantly. "Auntie Cafwin wid Lindy?"

Warrick smiled. "That's right. I'm a friend of Catherine. My name is Warrick."

Leo listened for a moment before flinging his arms around Warrick's neck and clinging on tight.

"So what do we do with them?" Brass asked Warrick while descending from the attic and approaching the little girl. She scurried away nervously, but Brass pulled out a photo from his pocket and slid it over to her. "It's okay, see? Catherine's my friend too. My name is Jim."

The little girl studied the photograph cautiously. A laughing Catherine had her arms around both Brass and Warrick. It had been taken on her last birthday.

Slowly, she stood up. "Where Mommy and Lisa?"

Brass sighed, "Lisa is at the hospital for a little bit, with Catherine."

"Where my mommy?" Lisa' lips trembled.

Warrick took a deep breath. "Honey, you're mommy...how about we take you to see Catherine? She knows everything."

"Auntie Cafwin? Is Cayden there?" At Mia's mention of his elder brother's, Leo sobbed.

"No, he's not." Brass assured.

Leo pushed away slightly frown Warrick to stare into his eyes.

"Will you wet Cayden find us? Pwease don't let him find us!" He begged.

Warrick smiled gently at the little boy. "I'll look after you. He won't find you. Shall we go find Catherine?"

The boy nodded.

As they left the house, Warrick carried Leo with his right arm, and held Mia's hand with his aching left arm and Brass carrying the evidence, Brass had an irritating thought.

"We can't leave the evidence unattended to take them up to Cath in the hospital." Brass murmured as they strapped the two children into the back of Warrick's SUV.

"I know, so I'll take them to the hospital-"

"No, you can't go on your own."

Warrick glared at Brass. He opened his mouth but Brass interrupted him.

"Warrick, Greg and Sara are already missing - we know for a fact that Greg has been tortured, God knows what they've done to Sara, Nicky's falling apart, Catherine's heading that way, and lord knows what is going on with Grissom. I am not taking any risks."

Warrick thought for a moment, before saying. "We'll go past the lab, get Nick to meet up in the parking lot with Griss to take the evidence, then we'll get these two to Cath. She can process them, change their clothes, etc."

Brass nodded. "Call Nick."

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

"A match?" Nick repeated

"A match!"

Nick ran to where Mandy stood in the door to her lab.

"On what? To who?"

"On a door in the school! It belongs to a Charlie Morris- a registered sex offender! Arrested in 1999 for rape and molestation of fifteen minors, boys and girls. There is no way in hell this guy should be anywhere near a school."

Nick gripped Mandy's desk as he read the computer file. She handed him a hard copy.

"Thought you might like a copy-"

Nick threw his arms around Mandy in a massive bear hug. "That is the best news I have had all day."

"You're very welcome." Mandy stuttered in shock, before hugging him back.

As Nick ran to Grissom's office he had to physically stop himself from skipping. He held up his hand to knock on the door when his cell phone rang. After listening to Warrick for a few minutes he hung up and flew into Grissom's office.

"We need to go to the parking lot."

They arrived there around the same time as Warrick, and Nick felt a little better with a large box things to process. The stifling feeling of uselessness lifted as he raced into a free lab, hardly noticing that Grissom was yet to catch up. As he snapped on gloves, his supervisor walked into the room.

"Want a hand?"

"Yeah, half the department is out looking for Morris, so we may as well do something useful while we wait."

Nick passed him a bag containing a smashed vase that Warrick had found near the body.

"Grissom? I'm sorry for breaking down, I-"

"Nick, that never happened."

Nick grinned gratefully at his supervisor who smiled back. "Thanks."

"Now, like you said, let's find our guys."

About an hour after they started processing, Grissom's phone rang.

"Officer Mitchell? Good, I'll be down there in a minute." he snapped the phone shut and looked up at Nick. "We got Charlie Morris in interrogation right now!"

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Catherine sat next to Helen Brooks, her friend Kate's mother, holding Lisa's hand as she slowly explained what happened.

"It started three days ago. Just after Noche y Dia, you know? We were all having dinner. Chinese takeout. It was all normal. Then there was this...buzzing sound. Mom found a phone in Cayden's pocket. She wanted to go ballistic, I could tell. But she didn't. Instead she just asked for the phone, where he'd got it." Lisa sniffled and wiped a tear from hear eyes. "Mom sent him to his room, and was about to go check in on him when Leo tripped down the stairs. He said he was pushed, but Mom didn't have time to talk to Cayden because Leo sounded really hurt. His foot is still messed up. A few hours later, Cayden turned up at the front door. Mom shouted at him, for the first time ever. He became submissive and ran crying to his room. Then everything calmed down, until yesterday when Cayden snuck out again. He c-c-came home, covered in blood. M-m-mom, she started screaming...then a c-c-car p-pulled up and mom...she told me to hide, ran the twins upstairs...I followed and hid under my bed. Mom raced downstairs and then there was screaming. Feet came upstairs and d-d-d-dragged me out. Then a man hit me in the face and Cay-Cayden stabbed me!" she started sobbing, wincing as the movement hurt her stomach. "It really hurt...I just heard the men and I pretended to be dead...then when they left I was too scared to call for help." She turned to Catherine. "I'd given up when you arrived. Are the twins dead?"

Catherine looked at her sadly. "I don't know, sweetheart."

Helen looked at Catherine with the familiar look of yearning to be alone with her granddaughter, and Catherine stood up. "It was nice seeing you, Helen. Despite the circumstances. Lisa, I'll be back soon, okay, I need to talk to your brother, find the twins. You must be really tired, but you've been so brave. "

"Catherine, I think some people are in trouble." Lisa sniffed.

"What makes you say that?" Catherine asked.

"The men were talking about it. Sanders and Sidle, I think they said."

Catherine's blood ran cold. "What did they say?"

Lisa furrowed her brow, trying to remember. " I think it was something like-'In a couple of days time, we'll see how Sanders likes it when Heracles has fun with Sidle.' The way he said it scared me."

"Okay, honey. Just get some rest, I'll look into it." Catherine hugged Helen and kissed her goddaughters cheek before leaving into the corridor. Just as she began to cry, a small voice interrupted.

"Auntie Cafwin!"

Catherine looked up and saw a small girl running towards her. "Oh, thank god, Mia!" Catherine scooped up the little girl and held her close. "How did you get here?"

"Wawick."

"Warrick? My friend Warrick Brown? Where is he?"

"Wid Leo."

As if on cue Warrick jogged around the corner, Leo perched on his right hip.

When he saw Mia in Catherine's arms he relaxed. "Once the nurse told us where you were there was no stopping her."

Catherine spun Mia on to one hip, and took Leo from Warrick who winced and rubbed his shoulder.

She noted it, but stopped when she saw the look Warrick gave her, so instead she decided to ask the burning question. "Where were they?"

"In the attic. They're okay, took them to get checked out by the doc. Leo here has a sprained ankle, but nothing worse. They're both gonna be fine."

"Thank you, Warrick."

He raised his eyebrows. "No problem. We need you to process their clothes, hair, and stuff. Is there anyone to look after them yet?"

"Yeah, Helen Brooks. Grandmother. I'd trust her with my life. She's in there with Lisa."

"Gwamma!" Leo cried longingly. "Auntie Cafwin, can we see gwamma?"

"Soon, sweetie. I just have to check, some things, get you two into some clean clothes, and maybe a little food. You hungry, Mia?"

The little girl who had been so afraid of Warrick and Brass stared at Catherine adoringly and nodded. "Can we hab ice cweam?"

"Sure, Mia. How about_ chocolate_ ice cream?"

Mia's grin stretched from ear to ear.

"Can Wawick come?" Leo asked Catherine, who looked at Warrick. Brass, who came around the corner at the same time.

"I think that would be a good idea. Catherine and Warrick need to stay together for a while, if that's okay with you two?"

Looking to Catherine for assurance and smiling nervously at Brass when she got it, Mia nodded. "He can come."

"Good," Catherine smiled. She leaned over to Warrick and murmured in his ear. "I can make this quick, we'll be back looking for Greg and Sara within the hour."

Warrick nodded and yawned. "We could use the hour of rest."

The young doctor with the looks of a movie star watched the group head down towards the hospital canteen.

If he hadn't known better, he would have said that they were a family, maybe kids, mom and step-dad.

But he did know better.

He knew a lot better.

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Numbness. It was a strange feeling. Detachment from body and mind. The lack of sensations licking your skin. If you were in heaven, numbness was considered hell. But if you are in hell, numbness is like heaven.

Greg no longer knew how numbness felt. He couldn't remember a lack of pain. His stomach burned with a steadily growing fire, and his skin crawled all over with itsy bitsy bugs. Cramps attacked his body as his throat closed up. He knew full well that the duct tape over his mouth would probably kill him. His breathing was restricted enough without it.

Sara had begun to call for help, after giving up on Greg's name. His whole body shuddered. Suddenly, a burning sensation flew from his stomach to his mouth via his throat, and Greg's mind was filled with terror as he began to throw up in reaction to the venom, the duct tape still over his mouth. Greg's body retched and shuddered even more.

_I'm going to die. I'm going to choke on my own vomit and die. What a way to go..._

Sara began screaming again as she realised what was happening. "Please, help him, please, _please! _Do whatever the hell you want to me just _help him!"_

With no warning, a hellish force beat down on Greg's shoulders as gallons of icy water pounded down on top of him, pushing him downwards. He could actually feel shards of ice in the water as they washed off the ants. The agony of his stomach moulded into a new pain as the cold burned the heat burns.

Greg tried to splutter and cough, but that mixed with the fact he was already choking on his own vomit told him there was little hope left for him.

He looked desperately at Sara one more times as lights began to dance before his eyes. A willowy frame came into his view, holding what looked like a pen, but Greg stared around it and focused on Sara, staring into her tearful eyes.

He didn't want the last thing he saw to be some stupid captor. He wanted it to be a happy thing. A friend. So he looked at Sara.

_Just in case I die. Which I will..._

Greg had never felt so afraid as his vision faded and he fell into a dark, bottomless abyss of nothing.


	15. Chapter 14

**Okay, second update in a day! Been procrastinating from revising, this is the result. Things are heating up now, folks! Thanks so much to sweetgurl4you, Marymel, C.H.W.13 and lotzalove for reviewing chapter thirteen-this one is for you! Thanks to you guys I am only two reviews away from my target! **

**So, read, enjoy and review. **

**Chapter Fourteen**

Brass arrived at the interrogation room at the same time as Grissom and Nick.

"Nick, you watch."

Nick's mouth popped open and he started to protest. "Grissom, I wanna talk to this guy, he shot up the school, he probably knows where Greg and Sara are-"

"Nick, stop. We don't know for sure, we can't afford to lose this guy. Sara told me about the high-school kid during the McBride case." Nick opened his mouth but Grissom held up his hand and continued. "That was when a little girl you hardly knew was missing, presumed dead. Now, it's two friends. I'm sorry, Nick, but I don't want to lose this guy, we don't know how deep he's involved. You can watch, but please, stay behind the glass."

Nick sighed and nodded, running a hand over his jaw. "Okay. Okay. I would argue, I just don't know how much time Greg and Sara have so just go."

Grissom nodded, and entered the room with Brass.

The man sitting on the other side of the desk was about 5ft 9, heavily built, with a pockmarked, pale complexion and pale blue eyes to match.

The smirk decorating his far from handsome face seemed mocking to Grissom.

"So, Charlie, you been abusing any kids, recently?" Brass asked chirpily.

"Nah," Morris shook his head. He had a thick cockney accent. "Not my thing."

"So you didn't just finish a 7 year sentence for molestation?" Brass put on a look of mock confusion.

Morris' smirk extended. "I'm innocent."

"Sure you are." Grissom stated. "But the conditions of your parole still state that you are to stay away from children at all times."

"I haven't touched no kids."

"Oh, we don't think you touched any children. We think you killed some." Brass explained.

Morris scoffed. "Bull."

"Then why were your prints on a door in a Day and Night school?" Grissom asked.

Morris blinked. "What?"

"Your prints. On a door. In a school." Grissom pressed the evidence bag across containing the prints.

Morris shuffled. "Well, maybe they were planted. I have a lot of enemies."

Grissom smiled. "I don't think that that is the case. You shot those people."He pushed across a sheet of paper with photos of all the victims of the Noche y Dia shooting. Morris swallowed. "You opened the door and you shot these people. Maybe not all of them. Maybe you just shot one or two. But you were there. And we know that you didn't work there under an alias, none of the staff know who you are."

Morris took a deep breath and leaned back in the chair. "I ain't saying nothing. Not without my lawyer."

"Your choice." Grissom stood up.

As he and Brass left, Nick ran up to Grissom. "You didn't ask him about Greg or Sara."

"I didn't want to show all my cards." Grissom explained. The three men watched as Cayden Flan akin was accompanied down the hall. Nick's expression was wary, Brass's incredulous, and Grissom's unreadable. Handcuffs hung loosely around the six year olds wrists. He peered past the three men and stared at Morris.

Their eyes seemed to meet through the one way glass. Although Nick knew the man couldn't see the boy, he could have sworn he waved at him.

And as he did, both the crime lab and the police department went pitch black.

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Crying quietly, Sara looked up as she heard people enter the room.

_When Greg's eyes had rolled into the back of his head, she thought she would pass out from screaming so hard at the woman standing staring at him. She'd just walked over to Greg and ripped the tape of his mouth. Vomit had fallen from his mouth, but he hadn't moved. His whole body was hanging; his legs limp beneath him, his body suspended by drooping arms, his head lolling down. There was an eerie stillness about his body. She should've been able to see him breathing, shouldn't she?_

_But she couldn't. Victoria strolled casually over to Greg' and placed two fingers on his neck. _

_"Heracles, you left it too late." she called, sounding mildly disappointed, stowing the epi pen back into her pocket. As Victoria got out bolt cutters and began to slice through the chains attaching him to the wall, Sara's heart split in two, and the worst kind of pain imaginable ripped through her body. _

_"YOU BITCH!" she shrieked. "You killed...you killed him...Greg, GREG!" Tears tumbled down her cheeks. "You could have saved him! He was allergic, you killed him-"_

_Victoria leaned over her and peered into her eyes. "I would tell you to shut the hell up, but you have no idea how much your screams turn me on." _

_Sara stared ludicrously at her captor, sealing her lips but still trembling all over. Victoria wrapped her hand around one of Greg's arms and carelessly dragged Greg's body out of the room. She was obviously strong, but of course Sara already knew that from the lashings she had previously received. _

_She wanted to scream at the woman for not being gentle as Greg's head bumped over an uneven patch of floor, but her brain couldn't form the words. Just the thought of Greg, her Greg, being treated like trash was more than she could take. _

_"Greg..." she whispered as he was dragged out of sight and the door closed behind him. _

Now, Heracles and Victoria strode back into the room. Sara's tears blurred everything in her sight, but she could just about make out Greg's limp body in Heracles' arms.

"Greg..." she whispered.

"Sara..." a broken voice croaked back.

"Greg?" she cried.

"Aren't we great? Sara? We revived him for you. He was almost dead. So close. I was tempted to let him die. In fact I almost did. Almost, but we want more from you lovely people. So, we let him live. Nice of us, huh?" Victoria chirped.

Sara pulled against the ropes still attaching her to the rack, despite the fact it wasn't over stretching her, and hadn't been since she woke up. Every muscle in her boy yearned to reach for Greg, make sure he was real, and _alive. _

"You two can have some alone time for a bit, before we bring in another of your little friends." Heracles announced, shoving Greg to the floor before using a knife to slash through Sara's bonds. Without hesitating, Sara slipped off the table and scrambled over to Greg. He was pale and cold, but very, very alive. His frightened eyes, met Sara's and he grasped her arm.

"Sara," he mumbled. "Sara."

"I'm here." she murmured, before glaring at Heracles.

He knelt down next to her, and leaned in close to her face. "Say thank you, Little Miss Sidle. Otherwise, I'll get little Greg out of the way properly and then I'll spend some time with you alone."

"No...Leave Sara alone...Sara..." Greg moaned weakly

"It's okay, Greg, I'm okay." Sara looked at Heracles and smiled sweetly. "Thank you."

Heracles scoffed, as if trying to figure out if she was mocking him or not. He wrapped an arm around Victoria's waste, and headed for the door turning to spit towards them as they left the room, and locked the two CSIs up alone.

"God, Greg..." Sara murmured, manoeuvring his head into her lap. "I thought they killed you." Her voice broke, and Greg frowned.

"Don't cry, Sara." His face looked worn and beaten, but he kept looking at Sara in concern. "Please don't cry."

She sniffed and smiled. "Sorry, Greg. How do you feel?"

"Awful." Greg replied groggily. My throat hurts, my chest hurts, my stomach... How's yours?"

Sara smiled sadly. "Fine. Just a little achy."

"They're gonna grab one of the others. I know it." Greg's voice broke.

"Well, everyone's on high alert-" Sara theorised, but Greg stopped her.

"They have a plan for everything Sara. We don't stand a chance. We don't even know what they want."

"You know what I do know?"

"What?" Greg asked bitterly.

"That we're not a team. We're a family. Family sticks together. No man left behind. They'll find us. We have the best CSIs and lab techs in the country-"

"Second best." Greg corrected.

"Technicality. They'll find us."

There was a pause, as Greg caught his breath.

"You keep saying that. What can we do in the meantime? I mean, wallowing in self pity gets pretty old really quickly..."

Sara rolled her eyes. "Well, um..."

"You could sing to me. Nick says you're a good singer." Greg teased and Sara had to stop herself from hitting her friend.

"Or you could sing." She retorted.

Greg stuck his tongue out, and weakly began to sing. "Ohh wooaah"

Sara's mouth popped open.

"Ohh wooaah"

"Greg..."

"Ohh wooaah"

"_Noo!_"

"You know you love me, I know you care  
Just shout whenever, and I'll be there"

"Greg! Stop it!"

"You are my love, you are my heart  
And we will never ever ever be apart."

"No!" Sara moaned.

"Are we an item? Girl, quit playing  
We're just friends, what are you saying?  
Say there's another and look right in my eyes  
My first love broke my heart for the first time  
And I was like..."

"Stop!"

"Baby, baby, baby oooh  
Like baby, baby, baby nooo  
Like baby, baby, baby oooh  
I thought you'd always be mine mmhm."

Sara's hand went gently over Greg's mouth. "I. Hate. Justin. Beiber."

Greg said something that sounded suspiciously like "I know."

Sara chuckled and took her hand of his mouth. Suddenly, Greg winced and his body jerked onto the floor.

"Greg!" Sara cried as he threw up, leaning purposefully away from her. She held his shaking shoulders and rubbed his back for a while, until he stopped. After a few moments of calm, she gently pulled him into her lap.

"Sorry," he whispered weakly.

"It's okay, Greg." Greg's skin was cold and clammy, and his breathing was stuttered. There were small beads of sweat appearing on his forehead, but he was shivering.

"Infection?" he gasped.

Sara shut her eyes. "Maybe. You're gonna be okay, Greg."

"If you say so." He muttered. His hand flew up and grabbed Sara's wrist. She squeezed his fingers, and began stroking his hair away from his forehead. "You know, I used to do this with my little brother. Before...my mom killed my dad and we got split into different foster homes. When we were little, my mom was depressed, and schizophrenic. When one of us got ill, it scared her, so, I learnt to take care of Mickey. I'd help him when he puked, pull him in my arms, stroke his hair until he was all better. I've never done that for anyone since."

Greg didn't know what to say, other than, "Why don't you ever talk about him?"

Sara sighed. "I lost him. We both went into the system, and when I got out I tried to track him down, but the courts wouldn't let me. I was trying to track him down in San Francisco when Grissom called me, and asked me to help him out. One of his CSIs was shot."

"Holly."

"Yeah. Well, I had failed in finding my brother, so I decided to start fresh in Vegas. What I'm trying to say, Greg, is that right now, you have been more of a brother to me than Mickey was. I give you hell sometimes, and I'm sorry. But you are. You, Nick and Warrick. You're all my brothers._ You're _my little brother. And I love you."

Greg squeezed Sara's hand. "Love you too, big sis."

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Catherine scrubbed chocolate ice cream of Leo's face and straightened out his collar. "There we go. Perfect."

"Wawick? Why are you taking our clothes?" Mia questioned as she tapped Warrick's arm.

He smiled at the little girl who had come to life since being around Catherine.

"Well, Miss Mia, we are going to try to find the people that hurt Lisa and your mommy. We are looking for stuff called evidence that will help us find those bad people."

"'Kay." She sang, happy with the explanation.

"Right, let's get you two to Grandma!" Catherine said, and picked swung Leo onto her hip.

"Gwamma!" Leo cried happily. "And Lisa?"

Catherine sighed. "Yes, but Lisa has a very, very, sore tummy. You have to be very gentle."

"A hurtie tummy?" Leo frowned.

"Yes. A very hurtie tummy. So you can't hug her like normal, okay. Best behaviour, 'kay?"

Both twins nodded. As they left the restaurant, Mia slipped his hand into Warrick's. He looked down at her in shock for a moment, before taking her hand gently.

After dropping the twins off with Helen, Warrick and Catherine went back onto overdrive.

They sped towards to parking lot as fast as they could.

As they got into Warrick's car, Catherine began to talk. "Thanks, Warrick."

"What for?" Warrick asked.

"The twins. You found them. And - don't interrupt me, Warrick - I know that you just did your job, blah, blah...But Mia, she doesn't trust easily."

Warrick smiled wryly. "I can tell. Honestly, Cath. It wasn't a problem. They're sweet kids."

Catherine nodded. "Yeah. Thanks. They mean a lot to me."

"I can tell." Warrick pulled out of the parking lot.

They drove back to the lab in silence and arrived in record times.

"What the hell?" Warrick muttered, looking at the building. Since it was the dark outside, all the lights of the lab should have been on. However, the whole building was in the dark.

"That does not look good." Catherine whispered.

Warrick pulled out his gun and Catherine did the same. They started walking towards the lab, when Catherine put a hand on Warrick's arm.

"I got your back." she murmured.

Deathly silence pounded the ears of the two CSIs as they made their way through the lab where they worked every day. Familiarization allowed them to navigate through the pitch black corridors, until they reached the lab itself.

Catherine's skin crawled as she heard quiet sounds. People were whispering almost silently, their tone seemingly afraid. Someone was sobbing quietly. A breeze wrapped around Catherine's ankles and she tightened her grip on Warrick's arm from a way of keeping from being separated to a means of security.

Warrick slid his hand down so that it gripped Catherine's. She squeezed back in appreciation. Warrick had an overwhelming urge to call out and see if anyone was there but, he didn't. Something told him that he shouldn't. He knew it was probably stupid, but he was scared to call out. He felt like if he did, something bad would happen. Suddenly, the lights flickered on. Catherine blinked and gradually let go of Warrick's hands. The place was a mess, glass everywhere, glass walls and windows smashed, _bullet holes _everywhere. Everyone in the lab was on the floor, but when the lights went on they started to stand up. Wendy ran over to Catherine and Warrick.

"People were shooting!" She cried, her hair a mess. "They said to stay down until the lights came on or we'd die!"

"Okay, okay," Warrick said. "Call Brass, tell him what happened, he'll get people here ASAP. Was anybody hit?"

Wendy shook her head. "I don't know!"

Catherine began to run through the lab. As she checked each lab her phone rang.

_"Catherine, are you okay?"_

"Yeah, Grissom, we have a situation at the crime lab I'm just figuring out-"

_"Is Nick there?"_

"What? No."

Grissom's voice was uncharacteristically panicked._ "The lights went off at the station, now Nick, our suspect and that kid are gone."_

"Oh my god..." Catherine gasped. Suddenly, she cried, "oh my god!"

_"Catherine?"_

Catherine threw her phone onto the side in the A/V lab and ran over to Archie who was still lying on the floor. Blood was spilling through his fingers that clutched his stomach and he was quivering violently.

"I need a paramedic!" Catherine shouted, running to the lab tech's side. "Okay, Archie. It's okay, hold on."

Archie nodded and tried to talk.

"My...fault." he croaked, blood seeping from his mouth.

"What do you mean?" Catherine asked gently.

"They...told...me...my...fault..."

"No, Archie. This isn't your fault. It's okay." Catherine ripped off her jacket and for the second time that day she pressed an item of her own clothing into a bleeding stomach.

Archie shuddered, and more blood began bubbling from his mouth.

"Hold on, Archie, hold on! Where are the goddamn paramedics!"

A tear leaked from Archie's eye. "I'm...gonna...die?"

"No, Archie hang in there!" Catherine called. Mandy ran in from prints at Catherine's calls clutching a bleeding arm. She gasped in horror and stumbled into the room.

"Archie!" she cried. His frightened eyes met Mandy's and a shaking hand reached up to her.

She grasped his hand. "Hold on, Archie. Hang on in there for me."

Archie tried to nod, but Catherine called tell he was losing a lot of blood.

"Hang in there!" Mandy ordered. "Don't you dare die on me! You and Greg need to teach me how to surf next month. You swore."

The fallen A/V tech weakly smiled a sad smile. "Sorry...Mandy..."

Mandy sobbed as a paramedic pushed her out the way. "We need to get him straight to an ambulance." The paramedic explained, as he and his partner put Archie onto a stretcher.

"Mandy, you need to get that arm looked at..." Catherine began. "Someone should ride with Archie, Mandy, whose he closet to?"

Shaken, Mandy stuttered, "ah, Greg, me. Henry maybe?"

"Henry!" Catherine called.

The toxicologist looked up from the crowd forming around the AV lab door.

"You hit?"

Henry shook his head, and Catherine jumped up, pulling him gently but firmly to the paramedics.

"Can he ride with him, please?" Catherine asked as they ran Archie down the corridor.

"Sure," the first paramedic glanced at Henry. "As long as he stays out of the way."

Henry ran alongside his friend and out of Catherine's sight. She covered her face in her hands.

"Catherine!" Warrick jogged up to her, his voice distraught.

"Warrick, Grissom called before I found Archie, I think Nick's gone-"

"I know he is." Warrick stated grimly. He passed her a photograph of Nick, tied up, gagged and awake in the boot of a car, fear and anger evident in his eyes. She gasped. "Check out the back." Warrick's voice was thick.

She turned the paper over. On it was a crude, childish drawing of Archie, a speech bubble coming off his mouth, the words, _"I disobeyed" _written inside.

"My god...Nicky..." Catherine gasped. "It's got worse."

Warrick nodded. "I can't handle this."

On the other side of the city, Nick Stokes attacked all the walls of the cramped space with his limbs all bound together behind this back. Suddenly the car stopped, and a familiar English accented voice started talking.

"Cayden, remember what Itzli taught you about hurting without killing?" Nick's heart began to race as there was a pause. "Good kid. You wanna have some fun?"

Another pause, then the boot was wrenched open. Nick flinched as light flooded his eyes. The sun was directly in front of him, shining around the head of the strange, small boy like a halo. Nick looked with fear into the eyes of the six year old psychopath holding a foot long knife.

Cayden smiled. "Hello."


	16. Chapter 15

**Sorry for the slight delay – I come bringing good news-I have officially finished school! Therefore updates should still be quiet regular! Thanks so much to si-te-hace-feliz, FezzesRCool, Shannon, Oh My Goshness, katiekatz27 and lotzalove for reviewing chapter fifteen- you guys rock! I have fifty five reviews! Still want more though if you have the time, just tell me what you think! **

**Read, Enjoy, Review!**

**Chapter Fifteen**

Warrick kicked what was remaining of the glass wall between two adjoining labs. He didn't even notice which ones, only that the glass made dozens of beautiful colours spill across the floor as they fell catching the light.

Humans don't make pretty colours when they fall. Only dirty colours. Dirty blood. Dirty vomit. Dirty skin.

Warrick felt a hand on his arm. He turned, expecting to see Catherine, but instead he saw Sofia Curtis.

"Warrick, I'm sorry about Nick. I've been sent to fill you and Catherine in on what happened." She said softly. "Normally I'd beat around the bush, but we are working against the clock. Brass and Grissom had just finished interrogating Charlie Morris, a paedophile whose prints were found on the door in the school. Nick was watching because Grissom heard about the McBride case incident. I was walking across the hall towards them, and Cayden Flanakin was being brought down the corridor. Then at the moment he passed the interrogation room, all the lights went out. They came back on a minute later, and Morris, Nick and the boy were gone."

Warrick closed his eyes. "How the hell did they get out-how did they grab Nick..."

"The lights were out for maybe three minutes. I was standing right there...god I feel awful, Warrick, but there's nothing anyone could do."

"I know." Warrick sighed. "I know you and Grissom, and Brass wouldn't let Nick be taken if they had anything to do with it."

Sofia just shook her head. "Was anyone hurt here?"

Warrick pointed at the scarily large pool of blood in the A/V lab. "Archie Johnson is on his way to hospital."

"Archie?" Sofia gasped. "Is he going to be okay?"

"I don't know. Mandy is also en route to the hospital, bullet in the arm, but she should be okay."  
Sofia closed her eyes. "You should go to a safe house."

"What?" Warrick's eyes bulged.

"You, Catherine and Grissom should go to safe house. It's not safe." Sofia insisted.

Warrick shook his head. "I'm not gonna let someone else look for my team. There is no way."

Sofia sighed. "Didn't think there would be. Technically though, you should."

Warrick ran a hand over his face.

"I think I have to take you off the case." A sarcastically sympathetic voice said behind Warrick. He spun and was confronted with Undersheriff McKeen.

"Sir? You can't take me off-"

"Oh all of you. Catherine and Grissom as well. You never should have been on it in the beginning."  
Warrick's jaw went slack and he began to argue, when McKeen said. "I'll hand the case to days myself ASAP. Putting aside protocol and court, you just can't handle it."

Warrick was lost for words. McKeen smirked, and Warrick lunged at the man.

"No!" Sofia shouted, pulling him back.

Catherine came around the corner just in time to see Warrick shake Sofia and punch McKeen in the face.

"Rick?"

"He's takin' us of the frickin' case!" Warrick yelled.

As she pulled Warrick away, Catherine stared at McKeen. "What the hell? Greg, Sara and Nicky are missing! They need us!"

"I'm sorry, Willows, but you should never have been allowed on it in the beginning. Day shift are perfectly qualified-"

"Screw day shift! These are our people!" Catherine shouted.

McKeen sighed. "You are making a scene-"

"You think I care? What I care about is my people, safe, home and happy."

"Well then I am very sorry. I will talk to Grissom."

"No!" Catherine yelled desperately. "Please, Undersheriff..."

"No, Ms. Willows. Day shift will take it over when they get in."

Catherine's mouth sprung open, and despite Warrick burning fury, he didn't do anything. He didn't have to- Catherine did it all for him. "When they get in? Are you out of your stupid kiss ass mind? When they come in? Its nine pm! They don't come in for ten hours at least! That could mean the difference between life and death, you stupid idiotic asshole!"

McKeen went pink. "Willows, Brown, you're both on suspension. One week unpaid leave. For assaulting a superior."

They both began swearing, but as Sofia tried to pull them away from more trouble, Grissom walked into the lab with Brass, looking more confused than Catherine had ever seen him.

When he saw the scene before him, his heart fell."Undersheriff?"

"Your team are off this case, Gil. I'm sorry, but you and Ecklie have broken all the rules. I cannot allow you to work the case."

"Undersheriff, my people have been kidnapped, at least one tortured. I can't just pass it over to days-"

"Grissom he's not even calling them in early!" Catherine cried, and Grissom frowned.

"What! That is violating protocol-time is of the essence- this is a missing persons case!"

"Days can't do anything on no sleep." McKeen explained smugly.

"This is bull!" Grissom growled, shocking everyone. "There is no way-"

"Wow, three suspensions in five minutes. You can come back tomorrow, though, we need a grave shift."

Grissom glowered at McKeen, before joining Sofia to pull Catherine and Warrick out of the lab. Hodges and Wendy watched in shock as the three remaining grave shift members stalked out of the lab.

"This is bad." Wendy murmured.

Hodges started to make a snide tone but stopped. "I know."

As they left the building, Catherine began yelling at Grissom. "What the hell? You just let him kick us out of the lab? Have you given up on Greg and Sara and Nick? Nick - how could you let them..." She trailed off at Grissom's guilty expression. "Jesus, Grissom, what the hell is going on?"

She slipped forward into Grissom's arms and he hugged her back for a minute, thankful for the human contact.

"So what are you guys doing?" Warrick said. "Do we just go home?"

"No." Grissom said firmly. "We still try and find them, just outside of the lab."

Catherine nodded. "We can do that..."

"But how? What can we work with?" Warrick exclaimed.

As they tried to figure out how to work it, none of them noticed Sofia whispering secretly into her phone whilst watching them closely.

**CSIVCSIVCSI**

Nick wondered if he was in shock. He sure felt like it. Three days ago he had been happy. Three hours ago he had been safe. Three minutes ago he had been alone, save for the huge man pushing him forwards. Nick's legs were tied loosely together, and his hands were secured behind his back. Now, he was standing in front of a door which led to god knows what.

"Time to see your pals." The man, Morris, he guessed, sang in a strong cockney accent.

Pain gripped Nick's body in several places. His face and wrists stung and throbbed at the same time, but the sickening feeling in his stomach bothered him more. Ever since Greg had gone missing, Nick had wanted nothing more than to see him, know he was okay. But now that he was faced with the possibility of seeing Greg and Sara, he wasn't sure he wanted to. The thought of what could have happened to them physically pained Nick.

Before he could think any more of it he was shoved roughly through the door and he fell flat on his face.

"Mmphmom." Nick's muffled 'asshole' made the Man chuckle.

"Cute."

Nick's face was shoved into the concrete floor as a huge weight crushed his torso. From the feeling of it, the huge man was sitting on him. He wheezed as all of the air was squeezed from his lungs, and his hands were wrenched up to a 45 degree angle and the ropes were cut. Sucking in air suddenly seemed a mighty task. Nick began kicking his legs to try and get the man off. Suddenly his legs were grabbed. The man was obviously leaning forward as all the remaining air was sent out of his lungs.

"Nicky!"

Nick tried to shove up his chin to look at the source of the female voice calling him, but he couldn't crane his neck far enough to see the face of the woman he so desperately wanted to see. He could recognise Sara's voice anywhere.

"Shut up bitch!" The man shouted viciously. "One more word, one more move and I will come over there and I will drag these two bastards to the walls, tie them up and then do you over and over until your lovely little heart stops beating!"

Nick growled at the threat and struggled weakly, but the lack of oxygen began to take a hold of him and he gaped like a fish, weakly hitting the body the huge man weighing him down.

"You liking this, Tex?" The man laughed. Nick squirmed. 'Tex'. He hated that name. "No? Well, I am. I am loving this. It is almost as satisfying as doing that bitch over there will be when Acolmiztli lets me have her."

Nick groaned in protest and started clawing desperately tiled floor, trying to crawl out from under the man.

"You know how long it takes to kill someone like this? Of course you do. It is a slow, slow way to go."

"Please stop..." A weak voice protested, and the voice above Nick sighed.

"Do I have to tell you what I will do to her if you do not shut the hell up you little punk?"

There was silence apart from the small laboured pants escaping Nick's mouth.

"Well, as much as I would love to sit here with you until you kindly die, Tex, you are wanted for a little longer around here. So I have been instructed to let the three of you catch up."

Nick gasped in massive gulps of air as the weight was lifted off his back. He coughed a couple of times before rolling onto his back in time to see his attacker leave the room and slam the door behind him.

"Nick!"

Nick swivelled his head to see Sara and Greg, and a whole flood of emotions filled his head. Sara was sitting on the floor leaning against the wall in a bloody vest and underpants with a half afraid, half relieved expression on her face. Greg was lying on the floor, wearing only a pair of boxers and a new looking bandage around his stomach. His head was resting in Sara's lap and his skin looked pale and he was shivering violently and there was what looked like a small pile of vomit next to him, but he still looked at Nick with worry. Nick scrambled over to his two friends.

"God, I'm so sorry, both of you..." he murmured."Sara, I never should've said those things I didn't mean them I just didn't want them to hurt Greg...Greg, I shoulda, I shoulda..."

"Nick, I know why you said what you said. And I think in your position, I would have said the same thing." Sara smiled sadly at Nick.

"What could you have done Nick?" Greg asked weakly.

"Jeez, Greg, what the hell did they do to you?" Nick avoided the sensible question, ripping his jacket off, a tortured expression on his face. Sara helped him slip the jacket onto Greg. It was quite a bit too big from the normal size difference between the two men and the weight Greg had lost from being starved for three days, but once it was zipped right up, Greg was more comfortable than he had been in days.

"Thanks, man. You know how I told you I was allergic to fire ants? Well they set a whole bunch on me. After they were done with the iron and cigarettes and all that stuff." Greg looked at Nick's stricken expression. "I'm okay. Just a little tired."

Sara rolled her eyes at Nick.

"What did they do to you?" Nick asked Sara."They didn't..."

Greg turned his head away and Sara shook her head. "Ever heard of a cat o'nine tails?"

Nick shook his head, but not because he didn't know. Tears filled his eyes as he eyes her bloody top. "They didn't..."

"On a rack." Greg mumbled. He turned his eyes to Nick, and the haunted expression of the younger man.

Nick wrapped his arms gently around Sara without disturbing Greg, and then he squeezed Greg's shoulder.

Greg pointed to the long gash in Nick's cheek. "What happened?"

He looked at Sara. "That kid. Cayden Flanakin. They gave him a knife."

"What kid?"

"The one that shot Warrick?" Sara confirmed, ignoring Greg.

"Warrick was shot?'" Greg cried, before exploding into a coughing fit. Sara and Nick helped him sit up.

"He's fine. Shoulder wound, he's fine." Nick assured Greg.

"You didn't tell me?" Greg accused Sara, the coughing letting up.

She frowned apologetically. "I'm sorry. I just..."

"He's back at the lab. With Catherine."

"Is Catherine okay?" Greg asked.

Nick sighed. "Well, not really. The kid that shot Warrick is Catherine's best friend's kid, two of four. Apparently he has always been a bit of a psycho, but now he's watched his mom die and stab his older sister. She's in hospital now, and the last time I spoke to Catherine she was pretty torn up. Plus Lindsey's still in hospital. Warrick's wife Tina is with her though, she should be fine."

"Does it hurt?" Sara asked. "Your face?"

Nick's fingers flew up to the wound. "A little. Its not too bad."

"Well, this sucks." Greg sighed.

Nick laughed. "Got it in one, G." Greg winced.

"Greg? Are you-"

"I'm fine. I just wish you were still the only person who called me that."

Nick waited for Greg to elaborate, but he didn't so he dropped the subject. The silence that followed was not awkward, more a comfortable silence. Feeling safer than he had in days, Greg allowed himself to slip to sleep.

A few minutes later, Nick looked at Sara. "I'm sorry I fell for it. I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

She shook her head. "You have nothing to apologise for. I would have done the same. God, Nick...I thought they'd killed him with the ants." Nick waited and Sara went on in a shaky tone. "He was chained to the wall and started squirming...they came over his shoulder and he shouted at me that he was allergic but there was duct tape over his mouth. He started retching; his whole body jerked but there was still duct tape over his mouth. He started choking, and after a few minutes they pounded him with water that cane from the ceiling to kill the ants. He went completely limp. The woman, the one he calls Victoria, just ripped off the tape and told the other man he had left it too late. Then she cut the chains and dragged him out of the room. I was sure I'd lost him." Sara's voice broke and Nick sat closer to both of them, his expression stricken as he looked at Greg's peaceful face. "When they brought him back in..."

Nick put his arm around Sara protectively. "I can imagine."

She leaned into his embrace, and eventually drifted off herself.

It made Nick feel a little less guilty that Sara and Greg felt safe enough to go to sleep when he was there. He'd look after them, he knew he would. Being the youngest of six siblings, Nick hadn't had anyone to protect before moving to Vegas. Now he felt love just as strong for the whole team as it was for his family back home, and he was determined to be as good a 'big brother' to Sara and Greg as his brother Ethan had been to him. He put the arm that wasn't wrapped around Sara onto Greg's arm, grateful when the younger man didn't stir.

They sat there for a few hours in their own little peace in the middle of hell before the loud crash of the door smashing open shattered Greg and Sara's sleep.

"Alright Mr. Stokes. It's your turn." A man with tattoos covering all of his head strode amiably into the room. "Your friends have already passed stage one, now you must. Step away from Miss. Sidle please, and stand by that wall. I can see you are thinking about lunging at me. If you do, Yelira here behind me would be more than happy to add a bullet to the mess her sister so kindly made of Miss. Sidle's stomach." Defeated, Nick rose. "Good. Heracles, Jack."

Two large men sauntered into the room. Nick recognised one, 'Jack', as Morris, but he had never seen the other before.

"Make this one aesthetically pleasing, boys. We'll soon be on camera."

The men went up to Sara and Greg, each one to a separate victim. Morris ripped Nick's jacket off of Greg and threw it to the floor. Then they handcuffed both of them and lifted them into the air, hanging them on hooks in the wall so their feet dangled about half a foot off the floor. They both winced as their injured stomachs were stretched, and Sara's vest was rolled up to reveal the damage.

Then they both dragged Nick over to the feet of the man. Fifty small but gleaming objects sat on a towel in front of him. At the sight of the one and a half inch long knives, Nick's tummy did a back flip.

"Please, sir, don't do this."

"Manners?" The man looked slightly amused. "Interesting tactic. They will get you nowhere, Mr. Stokes."

Nick struggled as the two large men grabbed his hands and feet and heaved him onto a cross shaped table face down and tied him to it. Using a large knife they cut off his jeans and t shirt. Then they slipped an odd shaped noose around his head and tied it to something on the other end of the table. Instantly Nick lifted his head up. When he let it drop down, the flow of air to his lungs was uncomfortably restricted. He glared at a camera close to eye level but he glanced away once it was turned on. The man with the tattoos started talking.

"Hello, Dr. Grissom. My name is Acolmiztli. How do you do? Unfortunately this isn't a live feed, but we thought we'd show you what your friends are going through. Begin."

Nick's breathing increased as he heard people walking around. One of the men bent down by his head.

"You look into that camera you sonofabitch, or I get time with Little Miss Sidle. I am Heracles, and Acolmiztli promised I'd get first dibs."

Nick resignedly stared into the camera lens. Whatever they did couldn't be that bad. He wouldn't scream. He wouldn't scream. Wouldn't scream. Wouldn't...scream.

Suddenly a searing pain attacked the sole of Nick's left foot.

He screamed.


	17. Chapter 16

**Hey everyone! Thanks to Shannon, C.H.W.13, lotzalove and Marymel for the kind reviews. Gotta say I never thought I'd make it to sixty. Eighty reviews is my new target, please help guys! It really makes my day. BTW- C.H.W.13- I was going to bring in the marble jar later, but your idea made a lot more sense so I added it to my original idea. Quite a bit of angst in this chapter. **

**You know exactly what to do. Please, please, please, Read, Enjoy and Review! **

**Chapter Sixteen**

"So we go to your house," Catherine said to Grissom. "Work the case from there? What are we going to actually do?"

It had been half an hour since McKeen had kicked them out of the lab and they still didn't know what to do.

"Ah, you're here!" Sofia said, relieved to someone behind Catherine.

Suddenly, the three CSIs were surrounded.

"Sofia, what have you done?" Catherine asked in shock.

Sofia smiled. "I called in a favour."

A woman walked forward, her hand extended to Grissom. "Maddy Briggs. This is my team. Day shift."

Catherine's mouth dropped open as Grissom shook the woman's hand. There were nine people on days including Maddy but everyone knew that days were a lot bigger. Almost every single one of them looked like they had just woken up or were about to go to bed, but they were all alert and serious. The only one who didn't look remotely tired was a young woman with dyed red hair who was fidgeting all over the place. Catherine thought of Greg with a pang.

"When Sofia called and told us what happened we came as soon as we could," a tall black men said. "We know that our teams don't always agree, but at the end of the day we're the same lab, and we know you'd do the same for us. For the record, I think McKeen is out of order, but we can't disclose anything to you anything we find about the case. We have specific orders...I'm Crook, by the way. Tom Crook."

"As long as you do your best to find our guys, which I know you will, we will be eternally grateful." Grissom interrupted genuinely.

Crook nodded and the day shift CSIs walked into the building.

"What was that about?" Warrick asked baffled.

Sofia grinned sheepishly. "I didn't want to wait. I used to be on days, Maddy is a good friend of mine. I have to go find Brass, but I know that Maddy and the rest of them will do anything to find our guys. And by the way, there're not as sloppy as you think." She winked and left to find Brass.

"Wow." Catherine murmured. "Most of those guys were on their third shift. I've seen them around the lab. My respect for day shift has gone right up."

"Yeah. I just wish we had someone in the lab that could tell us what's going on." Warrick muttered.

"Well, they've overlooked us again, haven't they Wendy?"

"For once Hodges, I think I agree with you."

The CSIs turned in shock, to see Hodges, Wendy and Bobby Dawson walking towards them. Wendy and Hodges were grinning and Bobby was rolling his eyes, but worry was evident in all three faces.

"We haven't been pulled of the case. And with Greg, Nick and Sara MIA and Archie and Mandy in hospital, we want this solved as much as you do." Bobby explained.

"We'll call you with any evidence we get or things we hear." Wendy insisted.

"You could get in big trouble." Grissom warned, hope in his eyes.

"They're our friends, too." Hodges announced. Everyone looked at him. "What? Okay, so we sometimes argue, what is the crime lab without Greg Sanders?"

"Now, you get to wherever you're going, and we'll call you with whatever we get." Wendy smiled, and Catherine shocked everyone by hugging the female lab tech.

"My, aren't you little Miss Cuddles today?" Warrick said, earning a slap on the arm.

"Well, I am going through a personal sort of hell at the moment. I think I have an excuse to be a little sentimental."

Grissom's car slowed as it pulled into his drive. The three friends entered the townhouse cautiously, and one by one they cleared every room. While they were doing so, Warrick's phone rang, and Catherine could hear him speaking for a minute, before he said;

"Uh, I have to call you back. Grissom?"

Grissom and Catherine ran into the kitchen where Warrick was staring at a package.

"Did you leave this here?"

"No." Grissom walked forward and took the box off the side, wearing gloves. The box was slightly larger than a DVD case, which was what he found when he slit it open.

Written on the DVD inside with red letters were the words, "Dear Dr. Grissom, it would be in the best interests of your friends Stokes, Sanders and Sidle if you were to watch this tape. We are watching you, and we will know if you call someone first. Don't."

Grissom frowned and put the disc into his DVD player. The screen lit up almost instantly.

"I'm not sure I want to see this." Catherine murmured, and Warrick wrapped his arms around her shoulders from behind, as much for his own comfort as for hers. She gripped his arms tightly as the heavily tattooed man on screen began to talk.

_""Hello, Dr. Grissom. My name is Acolmiztli. How do you do? Unfortunately this isn't a live feed, but we thought we'd show you what your friends are going through. Begin."_

Catherine took a deep breath as the man moved away, revealing the devastating scene to the CSIs. Looking anywhere but into the camera, Nick was tied to a large cross table, wearing only his boxers. Despite the mask of bravery he wore, all three of the viewers could read the fear buried in Nick's eyes. In the background behind him hung Greg and Sara, both with bleeding stomachs. Sara's eyes were darting around the room, fixing on two large men, whilst Greg's eyes were firmly trained on the ceiling. Both of the two large men in the room wore masks - clown masks, one happy, one sad.

One of them leaned down next to Nick and muttered something in his ear. Nick glared at the man for a second, before staring glumly into the camera. Catherine cried out in unison with Nick onscreen as Acolmiztli took a small knife from one of the silver trays and stabbed the sole of Nick's foot.

Nick's face contorted with pain as the man left the knife in his foot and picked up another. That one he sliced into the back of Nick's lower left leg. Nick howled as one by one, a total of nineteen knives were inserted into his body, down his left leg, right arm and all over his back.

All Catherine could see was the tortured expression on Nick's face. The pure agony struck Catherine so strongly she would have sworn they were knifing her too.

What struck Warrick were Greg and Sara's reactions. He couldn't watch his best friend's face whilst he was tortured so he looked at the others. They both had tears in their eyes and on their faces, but while Sara was sobbing quietly, Greg's head hung against his chest and he made no movement other than wincing at Nick's every sound.

Grissom watched the angles of the knives. None were inserted perpendicular to Nick's skin-they were all sliced in at a fairly small angle, which told Grissom that they didn't want to kill him by spearing any organs. Normally during a race against time, Grissom would try to convince people that it was a good thing that they weren't going to kill Nick right away as it gave the CSIs more time to do their job. But today it was little comfort to Grissom, and every knife stuck into Nick chipped another little bit off of Grissom's heart.

_"Stop! Please!"_ Nick screamed, writhing in agony.

The tattooed man nodded. "Okay, Mr. Stokes." He looped a small chain through a loop in the top of every knife and brought it over to Greg. The man in the happy clown mask lifted Greg off the hook and held him up. The tattooed man put the chain in Greg's hands. "Pull this."

Greg looked at him as if he was insane. "No way."

"Do I have to put a marble in the jar?"

Greg froze, and slowly looked at Sara, who firmly shook her head. The man in the frowning clown mask moved towards her, and Grissom could hear Greg's moans over the sobs Nick was trying so hard to stifle.

"No, no, no!"

"Pull the chain."

"I can't."

"Do it!"

"Please, don't-"

"One quick yank and it will all be over with. That way you can make sure it's over quickly for your friend."

"I can't do it!" Greg cried wildly. _Can't hurt Nick, can't make it worse, can't hurt Sara, can't hurt Nick..._

The man signalled to someone of camera, and the three CSIs heard the unmistakable sound of a glass marble falling into a jar.

"No!" Greg wailed.

"Pull. The. Chain."

"Don't, Greg!" Sara cried suddenly.

"Itzli, add another marble."

Greg let out a tortured scream. "_I'm so sorry!"_

He pulled the chain, and Nick screamed the most heart wrenching scream yet.

Greg fell to the floor and started shaking with what Warrick thought were sobs."I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, sorry, sorry..." He mumbled, and Catherine pushed Warrick's arms off of her and ran to throw up violently in Greg's toilet.

"So, Dr. Grissom. We're having fun. How about you?

The screen went black.

"Holy mother of God." Warrick whispered, a tear unashamedly halfway on its journey down his cheek. Grissom just stared at the blank screen. Then he dropped his eyes to his hands. They were shaking.

_"Greg, your hands are shaking."_

_Greg looked down at his quivering hands. "No they're not." _

_Grissom looked at Greg as he looked from his hands to Grissom a few times, like a lost little child. "Hold out your hands." _

_Greg held them out and let out a defeated sound. "They've been shaking ever since..." he pointed to the men working on the burnt room that was his old DNA lab._

The memory hit Grissom like a truck, and tears that had lingered in his eyes began to trail down his cheek.

"We have to get this to the lab to process." He said tightly.

"How?" Catherine asked weakly, returning from the bathroom. "With what A/V tech? With what equipment? The only things left to do, we can do here."

Grissom stared again at the blank TV as if it would give him all the answers in the world. "Do we know how Archie's doing?"

"No." Warrick said grimly. "When I spoke to Mandy, she said he was still in surgery. She's fine, though."

Grissom shook his head. "_None _of us are fine."

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

They let Sara down from the hook but left her and Greg in handcuffs. Nick was ripped from the cross, thrown onto his back and left, pale faced and eyes closed, in a growing pool of his own blood on the floor.

As the door closed behind Heracles' leering face, Sara stumbled to Nick's side.

"Oh my god, Nicky! Talk to me, Nicky, please!" she sobbed

Nick moaned. "Sara..."

"It's okay, Nicky it's okay."

He opened his eyes, and they showed more pain than Sara ever wanted to see in a friend. "I know. I'll be fine." He rolled over onto his front with a groan and pressed his face against the floor to hide his tears from Sara.

Sara's own eyes filled with tears, and she turned angrily to Greg, who was still huddled in the corner, guilt flooding his eyes.

"What did you do?" She half shouted.

Greg looked at her in surprise.

"How could you do that, Greg? You'll get yourself hurt to help me, but when it comes to Nick you're happy to hurt him to avoid a marble in a jar?"

"Sara," Nick murmured.

Greg's voice was barely audible. "No, that's not what...Sara, I didn't, I couldn't..."

"Couldn't what?" Sara spat, and Nick turned his head to look at her, wincing as the wound at the base of his neck stretched.

"Sara, leave him alone..."

"Nick, I'm sorry!" Greg cried, "I didn't want to, I didn't mean to, I-I-I, I'm sorry, so sorry...so sorry, so sorry..."

"It's okay, G. I know. What does the marble mean, man?" Nick asked quietly.

Greg shook his head, a lump in his throat. "I can't..."

Nick nodded, and winced at the pain it caused.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Greg chanted shamefully, his whole body quivering.

"It's okay. If one of them had pulled them out it would have been slower. They would have hurt me more." Nick reasoned.

Sara looked at Greg's eyes, and suddenly felt awful as she realised that Greg had had no choice, and she wasn't helping her still sick friend. "Greg, I'm sorry I know you wouldn't hurt..." She trailed off as Greg avoided her eyes.

"Greg. Come here." She murmured. "Please. I'm sorry. It's just that stupid Sidle temper. You know I've never understood how you guys put up with me when I'm tired."

Greg smiled slightly. "Right know, tired is a bit of an understatement, isn't it."

Nick chuckled then hissed.

Greg shuffled over, picking up Nick's discarded top and jacket. "We should stop that bleeding."

Sara smiled apologetically and gently took the split top from Greg, and they wound it awkwardly, handcuffs still on, around Nick's bloody torso. When Greg went to return the jacket, Nick shook his head.

"You're still shivering, Greggo. Just because I'm hurt, it doesn't mean that you're allergic reaction never happened. Don't argue with me- I'm injured."

Greg grinned gratefully and Nick grinned back.

"Sara?" Nick asked.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want the trousers?"

Sara snorted as she glanced at the split trousers on the floor. "Uh, no. We should save them in case we need them later."

"Do they always do this?" Nick asked quietly. "Calm before and after the storm?"

"Yeah." Greg murmured.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, and Nick slowly sat up, extremely grateful that they had left his backside alone. He slowly manoeuvred himself so that he was leaning against the wall with the small areas of untouched skin on his shoulders.

Sara came and sat next to him on the wounded left side, sitting close enough to comfort both of them, but not quite touching his broken skin.

Still feeling guilty, Greg stayed about a meter away, hugging his knees in an effort to stop the pain in his stomach.

Nick reached out with his good right arm. "Greg." The younger man looked at him blankly, and Nick smiled. "Please?"

Greg reluctantly moved over to Nick's side and allowed the Texan to put his arm around his shoulders.

"Greg, I know that the marble jar thing must have been something pretty bad for you to do what you did. It's cool, man. Least they didn't hurt you."

Greg sighed unhappily, but a small part of him felt better. He couldn't stand it if Nick, his 'big brother' in his mind, thought he was cruel or didn't care. He wasn't sure what he'd done to deserve friends who could suffer through torture and still be more worried about him.

Exhausted, Greg gently leaned onto Nick, who secretly smiled that the younger man was forgiving himself. Nick wasn't sure if Greg realised, but the younger man should have been in hospital already. Between the burns and the bites, Greg was a shattered mess.

After endless minutes, Greg turned his head away and mumbled something incoherent.

"What?" Sara asked softly.

"Why are they doing this?" Greg's voice cracked. "What did we do?"

Nick tightened his grip around Greg's shoulder, and curled his fingers around two of Sara's, taking care of the gash that went right to the bone in the palm of his hand.

"I don't know, Greg. But I do know that whatever they think we did, we don't deserve _this_." Sara said firmly, and Nick nodded.

Greg bit his tongue. "Nick, do you honestly think that we'll get out of here alive? Honestly?"

The obvious lie sat on the tip of Nick's tongue, but something about Greg's broken tone stopped him. "I...I don't know. There's a voice in my head telling me that this is probably it. That I'm probably going to die. But we still have hope. Grissom, Catherine and Warrick won't give up on us that easy, and that's not even mentioning the lab techs."

Greg shook his head. "I kinda wish there was still a little hope, you know?"

Nick grinned reassuringly. "There's still hope, G. You just gotta find it."


	18. Chapter 17

**This chapter has a lot which builds up to the motive part later on, so it is kinda a filler chapter, sort of. Thanks to Shannon, (yes, there will be more Brass later!) ArkAngel45, lotzalove and Marymel for reviewing the last chapter! **

**I checked my stats today. More people are reading this story than I ever thought, so thanks for taking the time to check it out! The only thing better than reading, is alerting or REVIEWING! (or even putting it as a favourite-thanks so much to you who have, I am honoured!) **

**Anyways, enough babble. Read, Enjoy, Review**

**Chapter Seventeen**

Warrick held his head in his hands. They had been expelled from the crime lab two days ago, and had been forced to work on standard cases. There were still no leads on the missing CSIs, not for a lack of trying from days, though. The only good news was that Archie was out of the complicated surgery. Apparently, three bullets had wreaked havoc on his internal organs. Warrick missed the details, but he was glad the young lab tech was out of surgery, even if he was in a, hopefully, temporary coma.

Warrick jumped violently as his phone rang. "Brown."

"It's Hodges."

"What have you got?"

"Do you want to go to Hungary?"

"What?"

"Because, if I were you, I'd look up some good Hungarian insults before you go. Like the oldest one ever written perhaps? Did you know that the oldest Hungarian insult to be written down was once recorded by a young boy on a tape player, and the story goes he got in big trouble for it?"

Warrick suddenly understood. "Thanks, Hodges. That's a good idea."

Hodges hung up and smugly returned to his samples. McKeen was watching him curiously, but Hodges had to admit that despite all his years as a known 'kiss ass', going behind the Undersheriff's back felt good.

"Catherine!" Warrick called as he ran down the hall. She turned.

"What?"

"Look at this." Warrick shoved a piece of paper at her.

"Veszteg, kurvanő fia szaros német, ittátok vérünket, ma isszuk ti véreteket?" Catherine read, confused.

"How did you pronounce that?" Warrick asked, baffled.

"I dated this Hungarian guy once, he taught me how to read a little. I don't understand that, and I've forgotten most of it, but I still remember the way they pronounce words. Why?"

"It means 'doomed, son of a whore shitty German, you drank our blood, today we drink your blood'. According to the good old internet, it's the oldest recorded Hungarian insult. It's what the Cayden recorded on the tape player."

"So, we have weird names, Hungarian insults..."

"And Nick said that Greg said something about them insulting him in Norwegian. Maybe they're all European? Charlie Morris was English..." Warrick added.

Catherine sighed. "I'll think about it. By the way, the Ferrari you had Vega impound for our 419 case is in the garage."

"Cheers, Cath." Warrick nodded, heading for the garage, the strange lead giving him a little hope.

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Slowly, Nick opened his eyes. Every inch of his body was in pain, and he couldn't think why. As he blinked, he saw Greg under his arm, snoring softly. Sara was on his other side and had fallen against his arm and was fast asleep.

"What the hell?" Nick muttered, and with the confused words everything rushed back to him. He groaned.

He looked at the two people leaning on him and couldn't help but smile slightly. His friends. Thinking about it honestly, if they hadn't been there, if he had been alone, he probably would have sobbed like a baby when the men left.

But he didn't. He wanted to help Greg and Sara stay strong, even though he didn't like his chances.  
Slowly, Greg began to stir. His eyes opened slowly and he peered up at Nick, who grinned at him.

"Hey, G." He said quietly.

"Mornin."

Nick laughed softly. "Sara's still asleep."

"Is she okay?"

"I think so. This is Sara Sidle we're talking about."

"I guess. Did you know that they stole some of my Blue Hawaiian?" Greg fumed.

"No. How do you know it's your Blue Hawaiian? They could have bought it."

Greg looked at Nick as if it were blindingly obvious. "Nick, when you went to my apartment, was they any Blue Hawaiian on the counter. Didn't think so, and there's no one to hide it from at home, therefore I always leave it out in case of emergencies. I could smell it. It was defiantly my coffee! I could tell."

Nick chuckled. "I'm sure you could, G."

"Hey!" Greg cried defensively. "Sara smelt it too!"

"Okay, okay, if you say so!"

Suddenly, Greg's stomach rumbled loudly, and Sara shot upright.

"Whoa, steady on, girl!" Nick drawled, and Sara glared at him as she got her bearings.

"Sorry, Sara. I woke you up. Little bit peckish."

"That was your stomach? It sounded like an earthquake!" Sara teased, and Greg stuck his tongue out.

The door swung open, and Victoria's sister, Yelira, if Nick remembered correctly, sauntered in with a tray. She placed in down in front of Nick, who had tightened his arm around Greg and the fingers he had wrapped around Sara's.

"Enjoy." She ripped off the cover, revealing a plate of steaming food. She dipped her finger into one dish and licked slowly placed the finger in her mouth. Then she turned and left.

Greg moaned. "Oh, Jesus they're going to tease me to death!"

"You're worried about one of the people holding you captive being a tease?" Sara asked, and Greg stared at her blankly.

"I meant the food."

"Oh..."

"Looks like Indian..." Nick guessed. "You think it's safe to eat?" Sara asked

Greg's stomach roared as he glanced at the dated clock high up on the wall. "I haven't eaten for five days. Two more and a normal person starves to death. I eat a hell of a lot more than a normal person if I can. I'm past caring now!"

"Okay, slow down. If I try something and nothing happens-"

"No! If anyone gets to be taster it's me! Because right now my stomach is telling me eat or die. I'm sure it would be perfectly content with both."

Sara and Nick glared at Greg, who grinned sheepishly, but not apologetically.

Nick stared into Greg's pleading, hungry eyes. "Okay, Greg." He mumbled against his better judgement.

Finding a lack of spoons Greg scooped some curry up with his fingers. "S'cuse fingers!"

Sara rolled her eyes and watched nervously as Greg put the food in his mouth. His face screwed up instantly.

"Greg, you okay?" Nick cried.

"That's disgusting!" Greg spluttered, before taking another scoop.

Sara sighed in relief."Slow down, then. Just wait a minute."

After fifteen minutes of no ill symptoms, the three friends began to eat the cold food.

"You're right, Greg this is awful!" Sara frowned. "Oh god, its meat!"

"Forget about Grissom and the pig!" Greg said, mouth full. He swallowed. "The pig won't mind. You're starving."

The tray barely contained enough for one, and they scoffed the lot, before Nick realised that they probably should have saved some.

"It would have gone off." Greg justified, licking his fingers. "So, Sara, truth or dare?"

"What?" Sara raised her eyebrows

"Well, sitting here in mind numbing terror is all well and good, but it is getting pretty dull. So truth or dare?"

Nick laughed inside as he sighed. There was no way Sara would-

"Truth."

Okay, maybe she would.

"Okay..." Greg grinned. "What do you think, Nick?"

"That you're acting like seven year olds...and I want in!"

"Great! Okay... Sara - where is the weirdest place you have ever done it?"

"She won't answer that, Greg!" Nick exclaimed.

Sara smiled cheekily. "Either in the bathroom in an aeroplane, or in the principal's office during Saturday detention."

Greg's mouth dropped open. "How did that happen?"

"That wasn't the question."

"I sure would've liked your Saturday detentions." Nick grinned.

Greg thought for a minute. "Oh, I got one. Nick, if we had five minutes before the world exploded and you could do whatever you wanted, what would you do?"

"Could you get more cliché?" Sara scoffed.

Offended, Greg sighed. "I'm just getting warmed up."

"Okay, then, I'll humour you. I think I'd first I'd call my parents, tell them how grateful I was, tell them to tell my brother and sisters I loved them...then I'd get my ass to the crime lab, and tell everyone how much they mean to me." Nick decided. "Now it's your turn."

"Dare. There is no way I am giving up the next location of the coffee."

"Okay," Sara mused. "I dare you to tell us about the first girl you ever had a crush on."

"That's a truth." Greg pouted.

Nick chuckled. "It could be worse."

"Okay. She was gorgeous, long blonde hair, big blue eyes, perfect feet. We flirted all the time. Her name was Livy Butler. We were three."

Sara snorted. "That's about right."

"Hey, I have always been a lady's man!" Greg waggled his eyebrows.

"You talked to her since?" Nick asked.

"Well, we were both only children, so as we were next door neighbours we were best friends. Until we turned ten."

"Is that the one you told me about? The one you had an argument with?" Sara asked. When Greg looked at Sara to shake his head, she was surprised at the tears in his eyes.

When he spoke, his voice was quiet. "If I told you two something that I've wanted to tell someone for a long time, would you promise not to tell anyone else?"

Nick and Sara exchanged worried glances, and nodded.

"That's what I tell everyone happened. That we had an argument. We never fought. When I met Livy, her dad was in prison, and her mom always seemed really nice. Livy and I did everything together. If she wasn't out playing with me she was at my house. I never understood why she didn't want to play at her house, but hey, we were kids. I wasn't bothered.

Then I had a beach party for my tenth birthday. The party meant everything to me because my parents told me we were moving. So when Livy told me she couldn't come, I begged. She said her mom said no, and when I asked why she just shrugged. In the end, Livy snuck out to go and I found out why her mom didn't want her at a beach party - her mom didn't want the bruises to be seen. I asked her why her arms and legs were black and blue, but she begged me to tell anyone. I still hear her sometimes when we have a case involving children. 'Mommy doesn't mean it.' When her mom found out Livy was gone she was furious. That night I could hear nothing but screaming. I was scared. I wanted to help her, but she told me at the party it was normal for moms to hit, and that it always sounded worse than it was, so I stayed quiet.

I went round to ask her to play the next day...the white picket fence had crime scene tape attached. I saw them bring out a body bag, and I asked a passing coroner what he was doing. He told me he was 'helping a little girl get to heaven'. They asked me if I'd heard anything, and all I could think of was Livy begging me not to tell on her mom, so I lied. The police ruled manner of death accidental, from a fall down the stairs. They put the bruises down to a local bully who had been seen before heckling Livy. I let a child abuser get away and beat Livy's little brother Ricky to death, before ODing herself. I never forgot how I could have saved both of them. But the police found a letter addressed to me in Livy's room, a card she'd made for my birthday. She said to keep being fun, so I did. That's why I became a CSI, and why I still own five Hawaiian shirts and prank unsuspecting lab techs."

All of them had tears in their eyes.

"And here was I thinking you were the only one with a normal childhood." Nick muttered. "I'm sorry, Greg."

Sara reached across with the hand not holding Nick's and entwined her fingers with Greg's. Greg nodded sadly, but smiled at Sara.

Sara paused. "Nick, what do you mean 'only one'?"

"Well, not meaning offence, but Grissom saw his dad die when he was nine, Cath moved all over the coast and started out a stripper, Warrick had no parents, you were in foster care and-" Nick suddenly cut off.

"What about you?" Sara asked quietly.

Nick sighed. Damn. You idiot. Despite what Greg had confided in him, Nick wasn't sure he could tell his younger friends what he had told Catherine. He didn't want his best friends to be ashamed of him.

"Nick, if you don't want to tell us what happened to you, you don't have to. But we know something happened." Sara eased gently.

"And its gotta be better than killing your best friend." Greg sniffed. "If it makes a difference, I kinda feel better now."

"Good, you should. It wasn't your fault." Nick took a deep breath. "I was nine. I was...molested. By a babysitter. The only other soul who knows is Catherine." he said bluntly, and went to remove his arms from his friends. He felt dirty again. Filthy dirty, and violated all over again. Just like when he was nine. Just like the nightmares. He knew that's what Greg and Sara thought, so he was surprised when they refused to relinquish a hold on his limbs.

"I'm sorry, Nick. I shouldn't have asked, I'm sorry I made you feel bad." Sara apologised sincerely.

"I'm sorry, Nick." Greg mumbled.

After a long pause, Sara murmured, "I saw it happen. I watched my mom kill my dad. I still think about it sometimes. The knife went in, then it came out, with so much blood. Afterward, my mom screamed at me that I should have stopped her. I was ten years old. I remember running to my room, calling 911, finding Mickey, dragging him under my bed until the cops came. All the while, my mom was shrieking it was my fault."

Greg chuckled humourlessly."We really are a messed up bunch aren't we?"

"It's not our experiences that make us who we are. It's what we do with them." Nick recalled, thinking back to his similar conversation with Catherine years ago.

"Exactly my point!" Greg explained, and Nick hit him gently. Greg shivered. "Anyone else really cold?"

Sara and Nick shared concerned glances. They had both been thinking the opposite- the room was rather hot.

Nick pulled Greg even closer with a protective arm. "You're cold?"

"Uh huh. Except my poor hurtie tummy. That still burns."

Sara couldn't laugh at Greg's childish language. She was too scared.

"I hope they find us soon. I'm still hungry." Greg sighed sleepily.

Sara glanced at Nick again.

"Me too."

The dim lights in the room suddenly faded, and they were left entwined around each other in the dark, their traumatised bodies and revealed secrets pulling them together.

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Catherine stared at the computer screen angrily. Acolmiztli. She knew she had heard it somewhere. A buzzing phone interrupted her thoughts.

"Willows,"

"Hi, its Tina,"

"Oh my god, is Lindsey-"

"She's okay, Catherine. She responded really well to the tests and she should wake up in the next four to seven days. It may be a little longer, and but I just wanted you to know that she's stable."

"Oh, thank you, Tina. Thank you so much! So she will be okay?"

"She should be okay, yes!"

"Thank god. And thank you!"

"You're very welcome. I'll call you again with any change."

"Thank you."

"Goodbye!"

"Bye!"

Catherine sighed as tears of relief filled her eyes. Suddenly, she remembered where she had heard the name Acolmiztli before. A quick Google search confirmed her thoughts, and she smashed the print button. She leapt into the corridor of the lab and ran to the garage, where she had last seen Warrick.

"Warrick!"

Silence.

"Warrick?"

Catherine sighed impatiently and called the man. A ringing came from the floor under an impounded vehicle. Catherine stared in confusion. She was sure the car involved in their 419 did not have a bumper sticker on it.

Icy fear flooded Catherine's veins as she stared at the cracked mobile ringing on the floor in a scarily large pool of blood.

"Warrick?"


	19. Chapter 18

**Next chapter, here we go! All I can say is wow, guys! 74 reviews! Thanks so so so much (in no particular order) to FezzesRCool, ArkAngel45, Shannon, C.H.W.13, Marymel, lotzalove and Oh My Goshness for reviewing the last chapter! It means a lot that you take time to leave a review! Thanks also to all of you who alerted/favourited my story! You're all awesome! **

**Okay, Read, Enjoy, Review! **

**Chapter Eighteen**

Warrick sighed. Being six foot came as a problem when you were shoved into the boot of a car. You just did not fit. He had to admit that their plan for snatching him had been clever.

_Warrick leaned over the passenger seats, checking for blood as he went. As he did, something caught his eye. He bent down to pick up the shiny new coin, and heard and odd ripping noise. Before he could react, a cool circle of metal smashed against the back of his neck. A smooth, movie star like voice murmured to him._

_"I have been in this seat for twelve hours, asshole. I am tired, cranky and achy, so I don't want you to move. There _is _a gun in the back of your neck, and if you need any further persuasion, know that Nick Stokes is scheduled for another knife session unless I return in time."_

_Warrick tried to keep calm. "Okay, okay. What do you want?"_

_The owner of the voice clambered on top of Warrick and wrenched his hands behind his back._

_"You all ask that. It's interesting how predictable you are. Then when you throw in a little surprise, well, I like it."_

_Warrick kept his mouth shut as he was dragged out of the car with surprising force. The man popped the trunk._

_"Get in."_

_"Oh, you have gotta be kidding me." Warrick complained. That was the last thing he remembered._

Warrick was confused by the cocktail of emotions flooding his body. Anger, a little fear, discomfort, worry, sorrow...and a little relief. He had been worried that Catherine would have been next, and that he would have had to have gone through the loss of another friend. At least now, he might get some answers.

The car groaned to a stop and Warrick tensed.

The light pierced his eyes and he got ready to fight tooth and nail. He prepared to spring on his attacker, but tendrils of auburn hair tickled his neck as a woman leaned over him.

"My name is Yelira, and as we speak, my twin Victoria is watching that Stokes prick with a gun in her hand just waiting for you to make a move. Because if you make a move, she gets permission to put a bullet in his right ankle. Nicky's right leg is unharmed at the moment, and wouldn't you hate it if that changed?"

Warrick bit back his response to the sarcasm.

"Oh, no snarky comment?" she mocked.

Warrick remained silent as he was dragged out of the boot by a different pair of hands.

As the woman leered at him, he recognized her instantly.

"Anya Frost."

She blinked. "Impressive. I thought it would take you longer than that."

"Well, I'm a smart guy." Warrick's tone dripped with sarcasm.

"Aw, don't be like that. Sarcasm really doesn't become you, Ricky."

"Ricky?" Warrick choked, disgusted.

"Why can't I call you Ricky?" I think it's cute." She pouted.

"Whatever." Warrick scoffed. Normally the only people he would allow to call him 'Ricky' were Tina, and _maybe _Catherine. Maybe. If she was really upset and needed a shoulder. Maybe.

The large man who had pulled Warrick out of the vehicle spun him around and sized him up.

"You ain't so tough, big guy." he smiled sisterly.

Warrick kept his mouth shut and stared into the man's eyes. Normally Warrick considered himself fairly tall and muscular, but the man in front of him towered above Warrick. In an explosion of movement, the large man's fist pounded into Warrick's stomach. He grunted and doubled over in pain.

"Oh, did that hurt, punk? That's nothing. You here me? Nothing."

Warrick just glared at him.

"You're all gonna go through hell here, you get me? Some of your friends have done so already. But it could get worse. It _will_ get worse."

The man spun Warrick around and led him into what looked like a large warehouse. As he stumbled through the corridors, Warrick wondered vaguely if he would ever get out. Once they had reached the door at the end of the corridor, the man took off the handcuffs and shoved Warrick through the door into a warm room, slamming it behind him.

"Rick!" A familiar voice called in a strangled tone.

Warrick raced around the large cross he had seen Nick tied to on the video and saw his three friends huddled against a far wall. He staggered over.

"Jesus Christ. What the hell have they done?" He asked, disgusted.

"Ah, Y'know, Warrick. Burns, whips, knives. All that jazz." Greg joked weakly. "Plus they could really do with heating in here."

Alarmed, Warrick looked at Nick, and shrugged off his jacket. "Here, Greg. I'm not cold."

Greg took the jacket, but paused and tried to pass it to Sara. "You cold?"

She rolled her eyes and hit him lightly on the top of the head. "Put the jacket on, Greg."

He looked at Nick, whose raised eyebrows told him the Texan wasn't cold either. Greg shrugged and slipped it on over Nick's jacket, and huddled his knees slightly closer to his stomach, wincing as he did so.

"Do you have any leads?" Sara asked Warrick.

He sighed. "A couple. Nick, you remember that gibberish that Cayden said right before the little psycho pulled out the gun? Well, according to Hodges and the good old internet, it's the oldest ever Hungarian insult,"

"What?" Nick looked confused.

"Doomed, son of a whore shitty German, you drank our blood, today we drink your blood" Greg recited, and noticed them all staring."It's a lab techs' game. Find the oldest or oddest insult and write it on a paper aeroplane. Fly the plane into Ecklie's office, and gather everyone in AV whilst Archie hacks onto the security cameras and watch his reaction with glee. Mandy used that one years ago. But anyway, wasn't Arch working on the tape? He should have got that straight away..."

Warrick's heart sank as he realised that Greg didn't know Archie had been shot. "It was on his list, he was going over security cameras from when Sara was snatched..."

Greg's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean was? Why did _Hodges _tell you?"

Warrick paused awkwardly. He knew how close Greg and the young A/V tech were. "When the lights went out at the station and you were grabbed, Nick, they went out at the lab too. According to the techs, they heard shots and were told to get down on the floor and not move until the lights came up. Catherine and I arrived and then the lights came on. Mandy was shot in the arm. Cath found Archie in his lab in a pool of blood -"

Greg's mouth popped open as he interrupted. "He'll be okay, right, he wasn't, he's gonna be, I mean he can't be, could he?" Greg's suddenly horrified eyes flew frantically to Warrick's sad ones. "Warrick, he's not..."

Warrick shook his head sadly. "He's alive. Three bullets in the chest and one in the stomach, he's really lucky. But he's in a coma. The doctor thinks if he doesn't wake up in two days, he won't wake up at all. I'm sorry, Greg."

Greg stared into space. "We were supposed to go surfing in like two weeks. His birthday. We were gonna drag Henry along..."

Nick squeezed Greg's shoulder. "He'll be okay, man."

Greg smiled weakly. "Thanks. Is Mandy okay?"

Warrick nodded. "Even with one arm I have never seen so many prints run so quickly."

"How's Lindsey?"

"Tina says she's stable."

"Have y'all got anything else?" Nick asked.

"No idea. McKeen took us off the case. Refused to call day shift in early, too."

"What!" Sara and Nick exclaimed.

"Sofia called them in early instead. I have a whole new respect for those guys. For 72 hours they've been at the lab going over everything. They take it in turns to nap in Ecklie's office. Ecklie's furious, but with McKeen, not them. In fact, Ecklie's been unofficially slipping us info about the case. Like he 'accidentally' stumbled into Catherine and 'dropped' a piece of paper talking linking Morris to two of the victims of Noche y Dia."

"We have Day Shift and Ecklie on our side?" Sara clarified incredulously.

"And the lab techs." Greg mumbled, staring glumly at the floor.

"Well, nothing brings a community closer together than a catastrophe. And the lab is a community." Warrick sighed, silently inspecting his friends' injuries.

Meanwhile, Greg felt slightly numb. Archie? In a coma? It just didn't make sense.

Does not compute. Compute...computer...Archie. It was a natural link in Greg's mind. Compute. Computers. Archie. It just clicked. Greg remembered the last time he'd ever talked to his friend.

_"Yo!"_

_"'Yo?'Who are you, man? Warrick? You've been hanging round with those CSIs too long."_

_Greg chuckled. "Good to see you too, Archie."_

_"You still up for surfing in...three weeks, one day, two hours, twenty one minutes, fifty five seconds and counting?"_

_Greg laughed again at his friend's precision."You have way too much time on your hands."_

_Archie spun around in his chair. "Well, you know how it is, CSI guy! Bring me something to do! No one has had the courtesy to commit a crime and leave anything on camera, tape, computer..."_

_"Honestly Arch. I'm away not even two years gone and you have nothing to do. I never recall being bored in the lab. God, I was the life of this place. I'm sure whenever I got into the field you all wither and die-"_

_"I just can't live without you!" Archie cried, swivelling the chair to face his friends and raising his arms towards Greg._

_Greg moulded his face to a look of utter despair. "I know how you feel Archie! I love you too!"_

_As the two men reached towards each other, Ecklie walked into the lab. The look on his face was priceless._

_"What the hell are you hooligans doing? Wait, I don't want to know. Just get back to work!"_

_As Ecklie left the two men burst out laughing and slapped high fives._

_"Yo, Greg, you wanna come to the dinner with us for a snack before shift starts again?" Warrick called, standing next to Nick in the hall._

_Archie and Greg grinned at each other. "Sure, man. I'll be two seconds."_

_"See ya Greg!"_

_"Bye Archie."_

"Bye Archie." Now he said it in his mind, it was so final. There was a very, very strong chance that he would never see his friend again, even if he escaped the prison he was trapped in.

"Greg?" Sara murmured. He looked at her. She opened her mouth but closed it again, feeling helpless. "Sorry."

He smiled sadly at her. "S'okay Sara."

"Warrick, sit down." Sara smiled, patting the cold ground beside her. He sat, and threw his head back against the wall.

"God. This has to be a nightmare..." Warrick's thoughts trailed off. He knew what was coming next. All four of them did. 'Phase one'. Warrick wondered how they were going to torture him, and he prayed to God that he could stand it.

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

"The garage? You're telling me, that six days after our guys started to go missing, another gets snatched from the _garage?" _Ecklie stared at Grissom, who looked like a professional mourner. "I am going to kill McKeen! Look, Gil, you and Catherine need to get to a safe house, _now._ I'll call Sofia, she knows a place."

For once, Grissom didn't even consider arguing. He stared blankly at the wall. As a silently crying Catherine led him to her car, he stared straight ahead.

"Gil..." she said, her voice more of a sob than anything else. He looked at her. "Warrick..."

"There're all gone." He whispered.

Catherine looked at him, a lump in her throat.

"All gone. And we have nothing. We have nothing. No leads, no suspects. No nothing." A single tear trailed down Grissom's cheek.

"We still have each other, Grissom. And I sure as hell know that I'm not giving up."

"I'm not either. I just don't hold much hope."

Catherine shook her head. "What have we done? What have we done to deserve this?"

Grissom looked at her. "I don't know. We must have done something, for the perps to do something like this."

Catherine shook her head. "Almost a week. One more day, the chance of finding Greg alive is less than 1%. I...My brain's telling me he's already dead, Grissom. And therefore, Nick, Sara and maybe even Warrick are probably dead too."

"We don't know that!" Grissom snapped skittishly.

Catherine nodded. "I know. I don't want to think that! It's statistics. Effing statistics."

"I know, I know. I just miss them, Catherine." Grissom's voice cracked, and Catherine looked at him in shock. "Hold it together for Sara, Nick, and Warrick. Hold it together for Nick and Warrick. Hold it together for Warrick...the less people you have to hold it together for, the harder it is to keep it together." He looked at her. "Now you're keeping it together for me."

Catherine touched her friends arm. "We still have to keep it together for them. We have to find them, Grissom."

He looked at her and smiled slightly, pulling himself together. "We will."

Catherine stepped on the gas and they peeled out of the parking lot. They met Sofia in the precinct and she ran over to the car window. Despite the hollow fear in her eyes, she was all business.

"I know a safe house, a couple of miles away. Just follow my car, I'll get you there."

Grissom nodded and thanked her, moment of weakness gone as he rebuilt his mental walls.

They followed Sofia through a rough part of Las Vegas. The streets were dark, but it didn't look like there was anyone about.

"According to their pattern, we have at least a day before they try to nab either of us." Catherine guessed.

"So, we can-"

A loud screeching sound interrupted Grissom's speculation. Catherine screamed as a large black SUV slammed into the vehicle and sent it spinning off the road and into an empty alleyway. The SUV reversed, and then accelerated, smashing once again into Catherine's Denali and shoving it further into the alley. Catherine slammed on the brakes but the car kept spinning, smashing into dumpsters and trash cans as it flew down the alley.

Sofia turned in shock at the loud sound, and instantly did a u-turn. She put her hand one her gun and flicked on her lights, driving straight towards the SUV that looked like it was heading for another smash at the CSIs. The driver turned to look at her, as she quickly radioed for backup, but then he pulled out a large gun and began to fire at her.

Mind numbing shock filled her body as bullets pierced both her shoulders. Her hands fell away from the wheel, and she tried to press her hands to the pain, but they didn't move. She stepped dejectedly on the brakes. Without the ability to steer, she couldn't even try and ram the SUV.

She reached for her radio, only to be met with uncooperative hands. Blood gushed from the two wounds, and Sofia felt her consciousness slip away with the blood. She was completely incapacitated.

Grissom pulled out his gun as the car screeched to a stop. Catherine was breathing heavily beside him, bringing out her own gun.

"Whatever you do," he murmured, "Don't get separated."

She nodded fearfully.

"We should get out of the car." Grissom stated.

"It's the only protection we've got!" Catherine disagreed.

Grissom's reply was cut off as the SUV rammed into the CSIs for the third time, smashing it into a wall. The CSIs began shooting at the driver, who reversed back down the alley.

"Okay, we get out of the car." Catherine rushed breathlessly.

They scrambled at the doors, only to find that Catherine's didn't open. They both slid out the passenger door and slinked behind a dumpster.

A pair of car doors opened and closed. Footsteps came closer and closer to the dumpster. Suddenly, a large arm wrapped around Grissom's neck and dragged him out from behind a dumpster, wrenching the gun out of his grip as he did so. Catherine let out a ferocious yell as a damp rag was shoved over her supervisors face. He struggled for a few seconds, before going limp.

Catherine pounced towards the attacker, only to be pushed to the floor by the second man. "Heracles, take the cloth away from his face. He has to watch." A cockney voice laughed as the man snapped cold handcuffs around Catherine's struggling wrists. She writhed and kicked at him, giving it all she had, but he pinned her to the floor. "My name's Jack. After the great man, Jack the Ripper. He killed useless prostitutes. If you struggle, I will have killed a useless whore too."

Catherine bucked her body angrily. "Grissom! Sofia?"

"Two bullets was enough to stop her, love!" 'Jack' laughed, holding her face still so he could put the duct tape over her mouth.

Catherine threw her body around like a toddler having a tantrum as Jack lifted her up and began carrying her away.

Grissom began to fight his way out of the smog caused by the weak dose of chloroform as he came to. Through dazed eyes, Grissom watched in horror as his last CSI was shoved into a car boot and driven away. Every muscle in his body ached or throbbed from the car crashes, and the drug was still in his system, but that wasn't what was paralysing Gil Grissom.

He was all alone.


	20. Chapter 19

**Hey! So, SO happy with my reviews. Thanks guys! Thanks to FezzesRCool, lotzalove, Oh My Goshness, Marymel, si-te-hace-feliz and Shannon for reviewing the last chapter! This one is a little bitty and a slight filler, but remember, chapter one was one week later than the prologue. It has been six days...**

**Read, Enjoy, Review**

**Chapter Nineteen**

Catherine fell to the floor with a heavy thud. After being dragged, literally kicking and screaming, out of the back of the Toyota Supra, she had been tugged down a long bloody floor, and carried into the last room.

"There. You can have a little time with your...friends." a smooth voice said.

"Kiss my ass." She muttered under her breath.

The man obviously heard, and kicked her in the ribs so hard the she rolled past the horrific cross shaped contraption in the room, and was faced with a huddle of four, very shocked looking friends. As the man left the room, and Catherine scurried over, they all began talking at once in soft, frightened voices.

"Oh my gosh, are you guys okay? What have they done-"

"Catherine! Are you hurt? How did they-"

"Their method has changed, Warrick wasn't..."

"Cath, you weren't you with Grissom? Is he okay? Are you-"

"Guys!"

"I'm fine, you all look awful-"

"What do you think they're gonna do now?"

"Do y'all have anything else at the lab?"

"What happened?"

"_Guys!"_ Greg repeated, more strongly. Everyone fell silent. His voice trembled. "What's...what's that?"

Greg's shaking hand pointed to a large metal circle on the ceiling. Small tendrils of black gas were seeping from it.

"Oh, shit!" Nick gulped, involuntarily tightening his grip on Sara and Greg. Catherine fell against the wall next to Warrick, and her shaking hand slipped into his. With his other hand, Warrick grasped Sara's arm. For a second she was surprised, but ultimately she was grateful for the comfort.

The smoky gas was slowly but surely floating towards the terrified CSIs.

"If this is the end, I'll miss you guys." Sara whispered unexpectedly as the gas began curling closer and closer.

"Nah you won't." Greg's frightened voice piped up in an attempt at humour. "You'll see us in heaven. And...we'll...all..."

"Greg!" Nick cried as the younger man fell limp against his body. "Wake up! Greg...Gre..."

Nick's eyes fluttered shut as he drew in the air to call his friends back and slumped into Sara's lap. She inhaled in shock, the gas shooting straight through her system. Stars flew before her eyes as she fell forward, her limp head coming to a rest on Nick's shoulder. Terrified but trying to hold it together, Warrick held his breath and motioned to Catherine to do the same. Tear filled eyes met his as the older woman looked at her broken friends. They had been through so much more than her and Warrick, who had hardly suffered. If this was the end... A small, defeated sob escaped her lips as she succumbed to her body's need for oxygen, allowing the gas to drag her away.

Warrick struggled to keep in the breath, but he knew he had to breathe soon. Either way he'd die. He wondered if Grissom knew what was happening. Feeling like the biggest failure of the century, Warrick Brown took a deep breath.

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

"Grissom!"

_Go away! I want to sleep!_

"Jesus, Grissom!"

_God. What are you doing? I just want to sleep._

"Gil, can you hear me?"

_Yes, but if I ignore you you'll go away. _

"Gil, it's Jim. I need you to wake up."

_Why? No one can hurt me while I'm asleep. I don't have to think about the people I've let down. _

"Gil, Catherine is missing, Sofia's on her way to hospital. Please, wake the hell up."

Grissom groaned and opened his eyes, fighting the voice in his head that had argued with Brass, begging for him to stay unconscious.

"Cath-er-ine." He croaked, his voice scratchy and sore. His eyes met those of Jim Brass, who was staring at him sadly.

"I think they-"

"They took her." Grissom heaved himself off the ground, feeling small rocks embed themselves in his skin as he pushed away from the road. His body didn't register the pain, only a sense that they were there. "I...I saw it."

"What did you see?"

"A red car...another Toyota Supra..."

"Okay. Did you get a plate number."

Grissom shook his head. "They choloformed me. Weak dose. I can't remember..."

"Take your time."

"We were driving. A car, an SUV came over and rammed us. Over and over again. Rammed us down the alley. The driver shot at someone, Sofia, I think. Catherine...Catherine and I got out of the car and snuck behind a dumpster. They pulled me out...shoved a cloth on my face. Next thing I knew...I was on the floor, watching them take Catherine away. They put her in the boot of the Toyota. I recognised it; it had been driving behind us, but only for a block or so. I didn't even think..." Grissom trailed off and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Okay, I'll put out a BOLO. You should go to the hospital, you've been out a while..."

Grissom shook his head. "I want back on the case, Jim. I want to find my guys."

Jim nodded. "I thought you'd say that. Let's get you to the lab. We'll figure something out."

The drive back to the lab was a quiet one. Grissom felt completely lost without his team. Like someone had taken his limbs away.

"_When I was your right hand...and your left, I uh, I always knew that if it hit the fan, you'd be the one to get dirty." Catherine said, looking at Grissom. _

"_Hey, that's the job." _

Catherine had been more right that day, about a year ago, than she knew. Grissom couldn't function properly without his team. With each member they had taken, they had taken a little piece of Grissom with them. Greg had taken his sense of humour. Sara took with her his possibility of love or romance in the future. Nick had stolen Grissom's ability to sympathise with suspects, and remain detached when looking at the worst cases. Warrick had disappeared with Grissom's confidence, leaving him with only a rickety fence where there were once strong walls. And Catherine had taken his hands.

She had left him with no team whatsoever. The last straw on the donkey's back. Grissom felt useless, like his ability to work, or even just to live had left him. He had lost his hands.

"Great, great." Jim said. Grissom hadn't even realised that he was on the phone. "We're on our way to the lab. That's great news, really." He hung up and turned to Grissom

"Apparently, Archie Johnson woke up. The doctors think he'll make it."

A small slither of relief trickled through Grissom's veins. He was not as close to Archie as he was to the members of his team, but he still liked the perky young A/V tech. Plus, he was amazing at his job, if he still wanted to do it once he had recovered, that was.

"Good."

"Gil...Day shift are going to process the scene. You may have to stay in your office until McKeen lets you onto the case."

Grissom nodded mutely. Brass accompanied him through the lab, all the techs staring at them as they went. Grissom collapsed at his desk with his head in his hands. Suddenly, he noticed a piece of paper, with Catherine's handwriting at the top. He looked at it, and remembered a short conversation in the car.

"_I might have found something. I left it on your desk..." _

"_Well, when we get to the safe house, call Ecklie, let him know. If you use your cell, someone might trace it." _

He picked it up. Scrawled onto it in Catherine's distinctive handwriting were names, followed by explanations.

_Acolmiztli- Aztec god of the Underworld_

_Itzli- Aztec god of sacrifice and stone_

_Heracles-Greek hero, commonly known as Hercules. Driven mad by the gods, killed his own family, performed twelve 'labours' to make it up_

_Jack- possibly a reference to Jack the Ripper, serial killer in 1888, London? Alias for Charles 'Charlie' Morris. _

_Unknown female. Possibly others. _

_All the names are mythological, bar 'Jack'. All are mysterious, for example no one knows who Jack the Ripper was._

"Catherine, Catherine, Catherine, you are a genius." Grissom murmured.

"Grissom!" A very flustered looking Henry burst into Grissom's office. "Um, I'm, uh, very sorry to disturb you, but um, uh, I-"

"It's alright, Henry. Just say what you have to."

"There's a message flashing on Archie's computer. It it's for you. But Archie's computer hasn't been on since, well...the shooting..."

Grissom followed the spooked young lab tech to AV.

As soon as he got in, the word flashing on the screen changed. "_Grissom. Tell the lab tech to leave."_

"Henry, go. Make sure no one comes in here."

"_Go to computer in far corner of room." _Grissom obliged the written instructions. _"Put on headphones. About to take you on a trip down memory lane." _

Grissom winced as a very familiar pale screen popped up. A male voice whispered cruelly in his ear, "Press the button!"

Grissom hesitantly hovered his mouse over the last word, and read the horribly familiar sentence once more before clicking the last word.

"_You can only watch." _

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Nick moaned softly as he shifted into consciousness. He tried to open his eyes, but his lids felt too heavy. As he struggled to prise them open, memories of what happened assaulted Nick's mind. Fear pounded his brain. Was he dead? Was that why he couldn't open his eyes?

He flexed all of his muscles and a mixture of relief and new fear flooded his system. His hands and legs were restrained by his sides, and there were straps across his chest and hips, holding him back to something. He could feel his head lolling against his chest, and he realised that he was upright. Nick's breathing became quicker as his heart raced, and he started to groan as he endeavoured to open his eyes. Finally, light came in through tiny slits.

He opened his eyes and found himself staring at his feet. Right wrist and left ankle protested as the restraints pressed on the open wounds.

He slowly lifted his head up and turned it slightly to the side. Catherine and Sara both turned to look at him, both fully attached to the wall like him. Both had duct tape over their mouths, but although they both looked afraid, they were alert, and awake. He turned to his other side and his heart fell. Greg was hanging next to him, his face pale, and still hanging by his chest. The young man's breathing was laboured- the duct tape over his mouth was not helping.

"Gg!" Nick groaned through the tape, but his friend didn't stir. They had at least allowed him to keep one of the jackets he had been wearing, but Nick noticed that Warrick's was gone. Still though, Greg's limbs quivered with what Nick assumed to be cold.

Nick strained against the bonds with all his strength - ever since the damn box he hated being restrained, or in small spaces. It was all the same. Not being able to move, being trapped. He hated it. Hated it, hated it, hated it.

It felt like when he was a kid, and deathly afraid of spiders. Jason, his older brother had left him in a small room full of the things when he was three, and from then on he was terrified of them. He ended up having to get over it when Grissom interviewed him holding a large tarantula. He hadn't wanted to lose the job over a phobia, so he had reluctantly taken the spider when Grissom had offered it to him. They had not bothered him since.

He wished he could get over the claustrophobia and the fear of being restrained as easily, but they brought him back to when he had been abducted only months before.

A small, frightened moan turned Nick's head back to Greg. The youngest member of the team whimpered through the duct tape as he opened his eyes. He turned his head to look at Nick, looking as if it was the hardest thing in the world, to strain his neck. His eyes pleaded with Nick, but neither man knew what he was begging for. Nick tried to look comfortingly at the man he considered his little brother, but he wasn't sure if the fear in his eyes would show through. He hoped not. Greg peered around Nick to see Catherine and Sara, and they both smiled at him warmly. He closed his eyes and hung his head again for a second. He loved how his friends were trying to comfort him, but he felt like _he_ should have been able to comfort _them._ Nevertheless, he was comforted anyway.

Suddenly, a bright light flicked on, revealing Warrick tied to a chair in the middle of the room. They were in a new room, and the chair looked attached to the floor. The same clock was hanging on the wall. Greg flinched away as all six of their known captors filed in. This time, they wall wore plane white masks, apart from Acolmiztli, who once again wore no mask.

The largest man, Heracles threw something at one of the women, who caught it and set up a tripod, attaching a digital video camera facing all five CSIs.

Warrick flexed in the chair, and though all Catherine could see was the back view, she could tell that Warrick was awake and bracing himself.

The three men wearing masks took stances by Warrick's chair, whilst the longer haired woman, 'Victoria', stood by the camera. Her twin, 'Yelira' strutted to the back with a cigarette lighter in her had. She leaned casually on the wall between Nick and Greg, flicking it on and off, her eyes flickering happily in the flame behind the mask. She looked at Greg with eyes alive with malice. He shrank away from her and looked at Nick desperately.

"Any noise from any of you," Yelira purred, fixing Greg, Nick, Sara and Catherine with her cold eyes in turn. "Any noise, even a whimper, and Greg's burns get worse." she laughed as Greg's eyes fluttered shut. "You're just so much fun to hurt, Greggo. I hope one of your friends gives me the chance to use this. Victoria shouldn't get all the fun!"

Nick huffed angrily. He was afraid to protest in case they burnt Greg, but the fear and shame in his eyes was killing Nick.

"Hello, Dr. Grissom. How has your day been? I am glad to see you're alone. This is the first of hopefully many broadcasts. As I am sure you are aware, I currently hold the lives of five of your CSIs in my hands. These two little hands. I often got mocked for having small hands. Well, Dr. Grissom, no matter how small these hands are, they still control the fate of five people that you seem to care a lot about."

Nick felt anger bubbling up inside him as they taunted his boss.

"Everyone has to be tested. Everyone has trials that they have to struggle through. Here, your trials come in phases. Three of your little friends have already passed phase one. If we exclude you, that means two more have to go through phase one. It's Mr. Brown's turn."

Suddenly, Itzli's fist smashed into Warrick's stomach. He wheezed, but before he could catch his breath, Heracles punched him around the face. Reeling, Warrick grunted as Jack's foot connected with his groin.

Nick watched with growing horror as the men proceeded to beat his friend, attacking every inch of his body. At first, Warrick kept his lips firmly sealed. Only grunts, moans and groans escaped his lips. It wasn't long before the three men forced cries from his lips. Endless limbs smashed repeatedly into his body. He shouted at them to stop, but they laughed harder and punched harder.

After what seemed like an endless five minutes of flying fists and feet, the beating gradually stopped.

"So, Dr. Grissom. Tune in, in exactly two and a half hours. If you fail, well...Catherine's journey through phase one will be doubly difficult."

With that, Victoria cut off the camera. Itzli swiftly cut the ropes holding Warrick to the chair, and Nick was afraid to see his friend slump in the seat.

"It won't be long now, just another hour or so before the whore's phase one." Heracles spat. "String him up in her place, bring her over here."

Itzli nodded, and undid the bonds tying Catherine to the wall. He wrapped a muscular arm around her neck, and drew her close to his body. She shuddered as Jack flung Warrick where she had just been, tying him into her place. Then, the good looking man snapped a heavy metal loop around her ankle, attaching it with a chain to a small circle near the chair in the centre of the room. Then they left.

Catherine studied Warrick from her place on the floor. His body was bruised and bloody, but bar a few bruises his face was unscathed. Painfully, he asked her, "You okay, Cath?"

She smiled tearfully. "I'm great. Just hoping that I don't get shown up by my subordinates, and fail the whole phase one thing."

"Warrick, are you-"

Warrick cut off Nick's interruption. "I'll be fine, man. I will be fine."

For a few minutes, Catherine and Nick led a little round of small talk between the four oldest CSIs. Who they thought suited who in the lab, what celebrities they thought were good looking, whether or not the Undersheriff was actually a devil in disguise...

Greg remained silent for the whole time. Two hours twenty minutes without talking, however hard his co workers tried to coax him into it. Ten minutes before the men were due to return, he said ix words that tugged the heartstrings of all his superiors. Greg was the survivor, always. They knew him as the bouncy ball, always bouncing back up. Gravity had finally claimed the ball's bounce.

"We're gonna die here, aren't we?"

**I know there was some minor GSR in this chapter, please hear me out. Romance is not a big thing in this story as I have said before, plus it is set in season 6. But there was flirting and hints at a GSR relationship in season six, so there are tiny hints here. It won't play a major part, I swear! **


	21. Chapter 20

**Hello, hello! Wow, Twenty Chapters! Whoop whoop! Thank you so much to Shannon, malfoystinksstinks, Oh My Goshness, W.S.C Magica De Spell and Marymel for my reviews! They were much appreciated. I couldn't help myself, so I put in a little Greg/Cath MOTHER/SON stuff in this chapter as well as a little bit of brave Greg! **

**So, this is the long awaited chapter, I guess...I expect some of you will find a strange sense of déjà vu at the end*insert evil laugh here***

**So, Read, Enjoy, Review! **

**Chapter Twenty**

Grissom was frozen in place. His couldn't peel his eyes from the screen that had just shown him the horrific scene. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening.

Grissom groaned and dropped his head into his hands. Those bastards had his people and they were hurting them one at a time. For the next two hours he sat in A/V. Suddenly, his phone rang.

"Hello." He answered glumly.

"Grissom? Henry Andrews won't let me into the A/V lab. What the hell is going on? Are you still in there?" Ecklie's voice rattled down the phone

"I am." Grissom blinks as words flickered across the black screen

_Keep him out. Greg doesn't want any more burns. _

Grissom thought about the extensive burning he had seen on the youngest CSIs stomach and the broken, vulnerable look in his eyes and physically cringed.

"Conrad, I can't explain anything right now, but I can't leave and I can't let you in here."

"What? Gil? What's going on?"

"I...I can't tell you."

"Gil? Have you been crying?"

"Conrad, please, just, keep everyone out and for God's sake leave me alone, my people's lives depend on it. Please, Conrad."

"You're begging me Gil? Okay, never mind. If you honestly think your team is in danger, I'll keep the lab techs out. I'll keep everyone out. Call me when you can, Gil. Tell me what to do."

"I will." Grissom muttered, and snapped his phone shut. The time seemed to fly and slow down at the same time.

Suddenly, the screen lit up, and the tattooed man laughed onscreen. "Dr. Grissom! I missed you. You know, I had the courtesy to set up the computer so that you can talk to me as I talk to you."

"You goddamn psychopathic sonofabitch, what the hell do you want?"Grissom's voice trembled.

"Well, well, well, Dr. Grissom. I didn't expect to hear such language from you. If it gets repeated, I may have to punish one of your subordinates and I don't know if they'll like that."

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again." Grissom responded quickly.

"Well, it's Catherine's turn for phase one. No amount of begging, pleading or threats can change that but they can irritate my men, which tends to make it worse."

"Why are you doing this?" Grissom kept his voice strong, hoping to comfort his friends if they could see him or hear him.

"Many reasons, doctor. I suggest you stop talking, right about now. Unless you want Catherine to experience five times the pain she's about to experience."

Grissom looked at the scene before him. Warrick had taken Catherine's place on the wall, and she was tied to the floor with a three foot long chain. Her eyes were avoiding the camera, but she still had her normal, proud posture remained. His heart swelled with affection and pride for his number two. Her body language subtly screamed defiance.

The largest man that Grissom had come to know as Heracles advanced on Catherine. Grissom winced as he ripped of her trousers, tailored jacket and shirt, leaving her, like Sara, in her underpants and vest. She took a deep breath, but Grissom could see her eyes hardening. He knew that she was uncomfortable, but he also knew that she could deal with the exposure better than Sara, having been a dancer in the past.

"May I take your hand?" Jack's eyes seemed to glint behind the mask even to Grissom as he mockingly took Catherine's hand. She glared at him, and Grissom couldn't help but be a little proud of her.

The man wrapped a little metal circlet around her wrist, and Itzli, the movie star look-alike, wrapped an identical circlet around her other wrist. Victoria stepped forward with two long wires and attached them to the circlets.

Catherine's body seized up as she noticed the large battery with a small knob attached to the other end.

"Now, this little contraption I invented myself. Now, it will only kill Ms. Willows here, if Heracles or Itzli gets irritated. That happens when people make noise. So, I am warning you. One word from any of you, and one of my men will rack it up three notches. I'm not willing to tell you how many amps, but I can tell you that it is very likely that if you talk, she will die."

Grissom gritted his teeth. He watched as they turned on the battery and Catherine jolted. She jerked violently as they upped the current, but like Warrick, Nick and Sara before her she kept her mouth shut.

Grissom watched helplessly Jack used a wooden baseball bat to push Catherine to a lying position on the floor. Then Heracles laughed happily and upped the current again. Catherine grunted as her body began to jerk violently. Heracles kept turning the current and Grissom could have sworn he heard Greg whimper as Catherine started convulsing. Grissom briefly glanced at the four CSIs at the back.

Nick and Warrick were staring in horror at Catherine's shuddering body, eyes wide and horrified. Greg's eyes were closed, a single tear lingering on his cheek, his head hung low. Sara was staring past Catherine, her eyes obviously locked on the camera. Her eyes seemed to shout at Grissom to make it stop, but he couldn't. He felt helpless, and out of control. After a minute, Sara raised her head to look at the ceiling, before her gaze turned to the now shaking Catherine, her lower lip quivering.

Grissom's own eyes flickered back to the blonde, who was starting to foam slightly at the mouth. She squeezed her eyes shut as her body convulsed, faster and harder than ever before. Short bursts of air shot from her mouth and her face screwed up in pain. Small cries ripped from her lips, but Grissom doubted she had the ability to scream. He felt like they were electrocuting him, too.

_Tell them to stop, tell them to stop, tell them to stop, tell them to stop..._Grissom's heart begged, but his mind overrode it in an attempt to keep Catherine safe. Finally, Itzli tugged one of the wires out of the battery. Catherine's body jerked into the air, and fell back the ground with an almost graceful quality.

"Ah, wasn't that beautiful, Dr. Grissom? Once a dancer always a dancer I suppose. Well, now all off your CSIs, bar yourself, have passed phase one. Just remember, that was easy."

Grissom let out a rare yell of rage and horror as the screen went black.

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Once again, the CSIs had been cut down and left alone by their captors, who again took the torture tool with them.

"Catherine?" Greg asked nervously, approaching the still form of his supervisor. Her crystal blue eyes snapped open and she forced her mouth to smile.

"Hey, Greggo." She closed her eyes for a second. "God, that hurt."

Nick chuckled darkly. "I think that was the point."

"Cath...Are you?" Sara trailed off, unsure of what to say.

Catherine levered herself into a sitting position, with the help of Nick and Warrick and shook her head. "I'll be okay." She turned to Greg. "Yo, Greggo!"

He looked up at her, and she smiled sadly at his horror filled eyes. She lifted a hand to his face and wiped away the lingering tears on his cheek in a motherly gesture. He dropped his head again, tears threatening to spill again, and Catherine's motherly instincts took over and she pulled his against her, hugging him strongly. She could hear him sniffling in an attempt not to cry, but she could also feel the damp where his tears penetrated her shirt.

"Greg," she began more softly. "It's gonna be okay. We're not going to die here. No way. They can't break us."

Greg snorted sarcastically, but sarcasm was the only emotion not muffled by Catherine's shirt. "Feels like they already have."

"Gregory Hojem Sanders! There is no way that the Greg I know breaks this easy. C'mon, Greg. We'll get through this. You are unbreakable, you hear me? They cannot break you unless you let them, okay? Don't let them, Greg. Don't let them. That is a direct order from your superior. Do not let them break you. Do you understand?"

Greg nodded. "Okay."

"We can get through this," Warrick said, not really believing a word he said but feeling better for it anyway. "We're a team."

"The strongest team I have _ever _seen or been a part of. And I'm not talking about our work strength." Sara added.

Nick paused, momentarily lost in a memory.

"_When we work together he can't outsmart all five of us." _

_Grissom had looked at Nick sharply. "Yes he can." _

Deciding the keep the fairly ominous memory of the old Paul Millander case to himself, Nick thought of something else. "Hey, Cath, you and Warrick said we have day shift on our side...even that Maddy Briggs girl?"

"Yeah, she led the way." Catherine replied. "Why?"

"Last I heard she was on the rampage looking for Greg."

"Why?" Sara frowned.

Greg sat up, a sheepish grin returning to his face. "Well, y'know how we were playing on that Wii, which technically belongs to day shift? Well...When we first got the Noche y Dia case, I was going square eyed from all the records so I went to the break room for some coffee, only to remember that Grissom had confiscated it. All because I won-"

"Cheated." Warrick interrupted.

"_Won, _on Mario Kart."

"How do you cheat on Mario Kart anyway?" Catherine mused as Greg continued.

"Anyway, I kinda kicked the Wii console, and nothing woulda happened, if I didn't take a cold cup of coffee that some idiot left on the floor with me. A couple of sparks flew, but then everything stopped, so I looked to see if I could fix it. I picked it up, and it spat sparks at me, so I panicked and dropped it. Next thing I know, SMASH! And then that day shift girl, the young hot one with red hair, uh...Amelia something..."

Nick laughed. "Busted."

"Tell me about it." Greg agreed. Catherine was happy to see a spark of old, happy Greg seep through.

Suddenly, the door practically ripped off its hinges. All five tensed at Heracles entrance, and Catherine subtly took a hold of Greg's hand.

"Don't you dare let them break you." She mouthed, and he nodded, his eyes hardening.

"Hello, everyone, hello one and all, hello to the scrawny, wimpy cry baby, to the little brown haired bitch, to the well mannered prick, the gambling asshole and last but not least the pretty whore. I bring you great news, courtesy of Greg. Sidle, you get first go." Heracles gleeful tone increased at the same time as Greg's eyes as he held up a marble jar, with two glass marbles rolling around in the bottom. The other captors filed into the room, and Greg's hand flew out to grasp Sara's arm in a vice like grip.

"Don't!" he cried. "Please, don't..."

Acolmiztli nodded, and Heracles, Itzli, Jack and the twins moved forward towards the CSIs, each holding a gun. "Heracles, you stay with Ms. Sidle. Victoria, Yelira, deal with Mr. Stokes and Mr. Brown. Itzli, you take Mr. Sanders, and Jack, you handle Ms. Willows. I recommend none of you resist."

As the strong arms of their captors jolted the pained CSIs to their feet, they all reluctantly allowed them to separate them, apart from Greg, who flew in between Heracles and Sara. "No!"

Heracles looked stunned. "No?"

"Leave. Her. Alone." Greg demanded, shaking violently, his hand almost cutting off Sara's circulation.

"Greg," she whispered. "It's okay. Don't make them hurt you."

Greg looked at Sara in anguish as Itzli prised him away. "Please..."

Sara stared into the lingering captors eyes as her friends were led away down the hall. After a few minutes, she heard screaming.

"What's going on?" she cried at Acolmiztli, who simply shrugged.

"Two of my people have permission to kill if they really want to. Maybe they are exercising that. You know, Miss Sidle, if Greg had not misbehaved, you wouldn't be here. That would mean all your friends would definitely be alive."

Heracles went over to the wall and pulled on a loop, revaling a pull out bed, complete with a thin mattress and handcuffs on each corner. He scooped her onto it and easily batted away her resistance as he cuffed her limbs to the bed. She began breathing deeply. The number of mutilated victims she had seen tied, eagle spread to a bed...suddenly an impassioned scream wafted down the hall.

"Oh, hear that? Sounds like Jack got the knives out again. Heracles, I will start up the camera. You have an hour to enjoy her."

Sara screamed. This was turning into her worst nightmare. She didn't know where Greg was. Know she didn't know where Nick was. Or Warrick. Or Catherine.

All she knew was that Grissom would probably be sat completely clueless in the A/V lab, where she assumed he had watched the last broadcast. Warrick's beating. He knew she was in trouble.

He just didn't know how to find her.

"Don't scream. Not yet." Heracles whispered in her ear. Close. Too close, too close!

Sara felt her pride disintegrate as she began to beg, realising why Greg had been so afraid of the marble jar. "Please! Please! Please don't do this!"

She whimpered softly as the owner of the voice clambered into the bed she was tied to. "Please, please."

"Manners will get you nowhere, Miss Sidle. Remember what happened to Stokes?"

_Blood. Blood everywhere. Nick, moaning. Lying in the blood. His blood. He had pleaded before phase one. He had pleaded very politely._

"He's watching this. Oh, they all are."

Eyes widening in horror, Sara watched as the Heracles unbuckled his belt and pulled off his clothes in about five seconds flat.

"NICK!" She screamed. "WARRICK? Greg, Cath, oh god, help me! SOMEONE HELP ME!"

The man just chuckled as he gently pushed up her t-shirt. She sobbed as the soft fabric left her body, and slid as far as it could go up her arms. When he pulled out a knife and sliced the fabric right off, she swallowed and started to struggle. Her hands and feet were each handcuffed to a bed post. She was in the most vulnerable position she thought she had ever been in. And she hated it. Her face set in stone as the man removed her bra, trousers and pants. She had stopped crying. It wasn't helping, and it wasn't her thing.

"Aw, have you stopped caring that two of your boys no longer breathe?" Heracles crooned, and Sara's heart dropped twelve stories.

_Two are dead? Already? Oh god, who? Nick? Greg? Or Warrick?_

Tears pricked at Sara's eyes and Acolmiztli nodded at Heracles as the latter pulled on a ski mask.  
"Hello, Dr. Grissom."

_Grissom? Oh, god..._

"Haven't you always wanted to see this, doctor? She is rather stunning." Acolmiztli continued.

Grissom's voice crept through the speakers of a laptop somewhere to Sara's right.  
"Please, let her go. Leave them alone. I...I'll do anything, please, you got me, you got me. Don't-"

Sara's heart lurched at the hopelessness of the tone of his voice when Grissom was interrupted.

"Ah- I don't think you have, besides I am a psychopath, remember?"

Imagining Grissom's face as his own words were thrown back in his face was easy for Sara. Silently, she promised that she wouldn't cry. She would be strong for Grissom. Nothing however could stop her heart and breathing racing at the speed of light as the man clambered on top of her.

And then it began.

_Hell, agony._Sara's gasps betrayed her as the man plunged into her. The pain made her fail as everything she thought she had left was stripped from her as she screamed for help.

_"GRISSOM!"_

**Authors Note: I took the prologue and tweaked it ever so slightly to fit in as it was supposed to. Please review and tell me if it worked! Thanks for reading! **


	22. Chapter 21

**Hello all! Here we go, thanks to si-te-hace-feliz, TamiRWAR, W.S.C Magica De Spell, Marymel, Oh My Goshness, lotzalove, and anonymous (whoever you are ) for your lovely reviews and for taking the time to read this! Not sure how I feel about this chapter, bits I like... **

**WARNING: Grissom may seem slightly out of character in one bit, but I thought that he would be a little exposed and emotional, and I wanted to experiment with him, so if it didn't work (it probably didn't) please, please tell me! **

**Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed so far. Here we go...**

**Read, Enjoy, Review. Simples. **

**Chapter Twenty One**

"No!" Greg wailed at the large plasma screen on the side of the wall where he was being held.

"Well, it is your fault, Greg. If you had just behaved, Heracles would never have been allowed to do that." Itzli smiled as he watched the ex-lab rat start to sob.

Greg just couldn't believe what he was seeing. He tried to turn his head away – he didn't want to see Sara violated like that, and he doubted she would want anyone to see. Itzli came up behind him and grabbed a fistful of his hair, forcing him to look at the screen. The spark Catherine had rekindled in Greg flared and he squeezed his eyes shut.

"Watch, punk."

Greg shook his head.

"Did you not hear Heracles? 'Two of your boys no longer breathe?'And seeing as you have a limitless supply of air at the moment we can assume..."

"No!" Greg shouted, kicking madly at the man behind him. Shocked, Itzli let go of him for a second, but it didn't take long for the man to regain his composure. With an almighty thud, his fist connected with Greg's stomach. Greg doubled over in unimaginable pain, though the tears coursing down his cheeks were not completely caused by it. "Nick..." he whimpered. "Warrick...Nick..."

Itzli just laughed. "Hey, they were pissing us off. Over protective, the pair of them."

Greg let his body become a dead weight and slumped to the floor. Last he heard, Catherine was screaming. Nick and Warrick...weren't breathing. And Sara was being...Sara was being...

Itzli smashed a small, rectangular object into his hand. "It's calling your boss. Talk to him. I am very, very interested in what the two of you have to say."

Afraid it was a trick, Greg tentatively moved the phone up to his ear. He flinched as the phone rang once more and a sad voice answered.

"_Grissom..." _

"Grissom!" Greg cried in relief

"_Greg? Are you okay?" _Grissom's voice perked up slightly, and he sounded almost relieved to Greg's ears.

"Grissom," he half whispered, "They're...they're...ray...ray...Grissom that guy is hurting Sara."

"_I know," _Grissom whispered back, sounding as haunted as Greg felt, _"They...showed me. But now the link is cut, I have no idea...has it stopped?" _

"He hasn't stopped. It's all my fault, he has her for an hour..."

"_What do you mean it's your fault...?" _Grissom seemed to twig what had happened_. "The marble jar." _

"Uh huh." Greg's throat felt choked, he couldn't say anything else.

Grissom sighed. _"Greg, whatever they told you, that is not your fault. Are you okay?" _

"Not really. Grissom, if I'm alive, and two guys aren't breathing, then Warrick and Nick..."

"_Don't think like that, Greg!" _

"You have no idea where we are, do you?" Greg interrupted.

Grissom paused. _"Not really. But Greg, please don't give up. I'm trying, just...Hold on." _

"Why does everyone tell me to hold on? Why are people willing to get hurt to protect me?" Greg asked miserably.

"_It's simple, Greg. We love you." _

To say Greg was stunned was the understatement of the millennium. Had Grissom just...

"_I never tell any of you this, but without you, without you, and Sara and Nick and Warrick and Catherine...it doesn't work. I don't need _a _team. I need _my _team. I know you've noticed that I have no family at home. No wife or kids. Sometimes, I wish I had one. But I don't need them, Greg. Not when I have you guys." _

Greg thought he heard a slight sob at the end of the line. He had never been more surprised in his life. He'd always, always looked up to his boss, but he never thought he'd hear Grissom talk about feelings just like that. "I...I..."

"_If you're right and Nick and Warrick are...well..." _Grissom paused, and when he spoke again, there were hints of finality in his voice. _"Greg, please hold on."_

"I will." Suddenly Greg panicked, "Wait, Grissom? Don't hang up! Please, Grissom, don't, don't hang up, I-"

"_I'm not going anywhere, Greg."_ Grissom said calmly.

"Oh, sorry...I just...I feel so alone." Greg admitted miserably, his eyes lingering on Itzli standing with a very good poker face in the door.

"_You're not alone, Greg. I'm here." _Grissom's voice wavered.

"How's Archie?" Greg asked, afraid of the answer.

"_Awake. He's going to be fine, Greg. Apparently he's asked about you and the others." _

Greg smiled slightly. "Good. Thank god...Grissom..."

"_What?" _Grissom asked as the young man paused.

"Thank you."

"_What for?" _Grissom asked, baffled.

"For looking out for me. Letting me out into the field. Giving me a second chance when I probably didn't deserve it." Greg paused. He wasn't sure how to say what he wanted to. "Thanks for being like a dad to me. My dad died a few weeks before I moved to Vegas, I guess it was partly why I moved. After the hit and run, my mom suffocated me even more than usual. I kinda lost hope in the dad department... you're quite similar to my dad, did you know that? I mean, he wasn't a workaholic, and he didn't like bugs or anything...but he never said anything about how he was feeling. I can count on one hand the number of times he said he loved me. But at the same time, I could kinda tell, y'know?"

"_I know." _Grissom said softly.

"That's how you're like him. He was always there." Greg paused awkwardly.

"_Thank you, Greg."_

"What for?" Greg mimicked his boss.

Grissom chuckled slightly. _"For reminding me to laugh. For always doing the best you could. For always making me proud of you. You could say you're like my youngest son." _

Greg's throat closed up. "Never thought I's here you say that."

"_Neither did I. But I meant it. Please hang on, Greg. Don't let them break you." _

Greg nodded, then reminded himself his boss couldn't see him. "I will, I swear." Itzli moved forward as if to take away the phone, but Greg wrapped his hand protectively round the phone and leaned away, glaring at the man.

"_Good. Is it still..." _

Greg glanced at the TV, and a flurry of emotions brought tears to his eyes. "The clock says it's only been ten minutes, Griss. He hasn't stopped. They gave him a whole hour. What should I do?"

"_If there's nothing you can do, don't try anything." _Grissom said quickly. _"Don't get yourself hurt if it will probably be in vain." _

Greg shook his head. "I can't let them...I don't want to...she's just..."

"_I know." _

"Grissom, she's screaming." Greg mumbled quietly, and Grissom seemed to know that there was more meaning behind the face value of those words.

"_Don't get yourself hurt, Greg." _

"What should I do?" Greg half sobbed again.

"_I...I don't know!" _Grissom admitted angrily.

"I'm sorry, Grissom, I..." Greg stammered.

"_What? Why are you...Oh, I'm not angry at you Greg!" _

"You should be."

"_Now is _not _the time to wallow in self pity, Greg. You have to hold on, for Sara... and Catherine." _

Grissom knew that that would work, Greg thought, half angrily. "Okay, okay." Suddenly Itzli came for the phone, and Greg knew that the time was up. "No, please, don't take it, please-"

"_Greg? What's happening?" _

"Please...Grissom, Grissom he wants to take the phone!" Greg panicked.

"_Let him, Greg. Don't give him an excuse to hurt you or the others even more. Hold on. I miss you all." _

Greg felt like howling as Itzli snatched the phone and the words of comfort away from his ear.

"Your boss really does care for you." He smirked. "I must admit, that was kinda sweet. The whole father son bit."

Greg glared at him.

"Now, watch Sara and Heracles have their little fun."

Greg didn't move, defiantly staring into his captors eyes and Itzli smiled. "I was hoping you'd give me a chance to use this."

Greg suddenly half wished he'd just looked at the goddamn screen as Itzli pulled out a pure silver cigarette lighter.

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Nick Stokes wasn't breathing. He was cold and his skin was like ice. His eyes were open and afraid, but they too looked frozen in place. There was no rise and fall to his chest. He wasn't breathing.

But he wasn't dead.

Trapped in a hell, on his way to death, sure. But dead? Not quite. His open eyes peered through the water and glass to look at Warrick, whose eyes were closed. He would have worried that his best friend was dead, but he reasoned that it took muscles to squeeze your eyes that shut. Nick thrashed around again, his panic attack taking a hold on his body once more, the speed of his limbs hindered by the water and glass.

_The two women had dragged Nick and Warrick into a room adjoining the one Catherine was in, opposite from Greg's. There was a large screen on the ceiling, and Nick had started to panic when he saw what was on the floor. _

"_No! No, no, no, no, no, no!" __He had cried, squirming in Victoria's arms. _

_Warrick had seen the two Plexiglass coffins lying on the floor right next to each other and had seen why his friend was panicking. _

"_Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" Victoria had sung. _

"_No!" Nick had cried, digging his heels into the floor. "No, not again!" _

_Warrick had looked up then. "Don't bury him! Bury me, for god's sake, do whatever the hell you like to me, but don't bury him!" _

"_Who said anything about burying?" Yelira had shrugged, poking Warrick in the back with her gun. "You. In the coffin." _

_Warrick had reluctantly lowered himself into the large glass box, his eyes glued on Nick's. Nick had been shaking violently, terror in his eyes. Warrick had sworn as the lid was closed. It had looked like Nick was having a panic attack. _

"_No!" Nick had moaned. "Let him out, don't..." _

_Warrick had started breathing heavily himself. Unlike the first coffin Nick had been buried in, he couldn't see an alternate air supply, only a one way valve above his head. He could truly understand the blind fear his friend had experienced when he had been alone, buried in the dark. _

_It had taken both women to get Nick into the second coffin, literally kicking and screaming. "Nooo!" _

"_Ni ck!" Warrick had cried as his friend tumbled into what Warrick knew was the worst type of hell for him. "I'm here, buddy." Warrick had pushed his hand against the glass. Grateful for his friend, Nick had pushed his hand up against Warrick's. Suddenly he took his hand away. _

"_Shit, shit, _shit!" _Nick had screamed, as water began pouring into both coffins, quickly filling the two boxes. Nick had screamed and Warrick sworn as their air supply was diminished piece by piece. Finally, both CSIs had taken deep breaths..._

Now Nick was holding on for dear life. He quivered as his body thirsted for air. Desperation and adrenalin flooded his veins as he pounded on the roof of his glass prison. There was something playing on the screen above his head, but he couldn't make out the true image-it was blurred by water and glass. It looked like someone was on top of Sara. Nick's mind couldn't process that thought in his current state of mind. It had to be the diffraction blurring his view. No one would even think of raping his little sister.

He had evaded death in one coffin only to die in another. Nick knew he had been under for almost two minutes, and he also knew the as neither he nor Warrick were professional swimmers, they were running out of time.

He peered into the next coffin; Warrick's eyes were now open and staring straight at Nick. His hand went back up against the glass in a fist. Nick put his own fist next to Warrick's. The other man smiled slightly at Nick as his other hand clawed at the edges of the coffins.

Warrick's whole body was convulsing violently as he writhed around to try not to breathe, and fear coursed through his veins. He didn't allow it to show through, and instead he winked at his best friend.

Nick panicked even more when Warrick winked at him, bubbles streaming from his mouth. He watched his friend push one last time on the roof of the coffin, his face pink and lips blue. Nick let out his breath in a cry of rage as Warrick's body went limp.

**CSIVCSIVCSIVCSI**

Archie stared up at the ceiling. Attached to more machines than he cared to count, all he could think of was the last surfing trip he had taken with Greg.

"_Whoa dude that was totally awesome!" Greg drawled, playing the hippie surfer dude thing up as usual. Archie just laughed. _

"_Hell, yeah! Did you see the size of those waves?" _

"_Well, I was there." _

_Archie rolled his eyes as they carried their surf boards up the beach in sunny California. _

"_We have to do this again." Greg grinned in the car on the way back to the airport. _

_Archie grinned back. "Maybe we should bring Henry and Bobby. Maybe even Hodges." _

_Greg looked disgusted. "Hodges?" he laughed. "Why not? How about in six months?" _

"_That's a little soon. Grissom wouldn't approve." _

"_Live for the day, Archie!" Greg whined. "We could die in the next year! I wanna go back soon." _

_Once again Archie rolled his eyes. "We have time, Greg. I wanna see my folks next vacation time I get." _

"_You mean that really fit girl that lives next door to your folks?"_

"_We got ages, Greg. We'll go back eventually." _

Archie felt horrible knowing that 'eventually' would probably never come. It wasn't so much guilt for denying Greg his surfing trip. It was more the knowledge that his carefree friend had been more right than he had imagined.

"_We could die in the next year!" _

The statistical part of his brain was screaming that chances of finding Greg alive were a measly 1% and rather than ignoring the statistics, Archie just swallowed them. His father had always told him to expect to be the rule, not the exception. He had explained that that way it hurt less when you were the rule.

A shrill ringing disrupted Archie, and he peered at the hospital phone he had insisted be placed in his room in case of a lead.

"Hello?"

"_Archie? How are you feeling?" _

"Um...fine thanks...Grissom?"

"_Yes. Could you do me a favour?" _

Archie straightened. People often called him when he was sick, asking how to work his equipment. He could be useful. "Name it."

"_I need you to run me through tracing a video feed..."_

__**Well, the Greg/Grissom bit...I'm not sure if it worked...Throughout the story I am going to focus on various relationships between the team. I know these last chapters have had a lot of Greg...What can I say, I love to write him! Next chapter will probs focus on the girls a little more, but then again it may not...all depends on what you think! (if no one tells me I'll just guess!)**

**Thanks for reading! If you can, please review! **


	23. Chapter 22

**Ah! I have over 100 reviews! 102! OMG, ** **si-te-hace-feliz, C.H.W.13, W.S.C Magica de Spell, lotzalove, Marymel, and anonymous, YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST! OVER 100 REVIEWS! AH! I never ever saw that coming. Here we go...next chapter. I like some of this one, but other bits I'm not so sure. Either way, enjoy! (BTW, if anyone listens to music while reading, I wrote this chapter to three songs- I'd Come for You, by Nickleback, You Know Where To Find Me, by Matthew West, and Memories, by Within Temptation. Check 'em out if you listen and read (Like me!)**

**Just a little warning, there is some graphicness in this chapter, and it is probably more of an M than a T. (There won't be too much explicit graphicness about rape etc in this story. I find that it is like glitter or sprinkles - artistic if used in moderation, a big blooming mess if used too much! If you disagree, feel free to tell me)**

**So, for chapter 22, Read, Enjoy, Review! **

**Chapter Twenty Two**

Catherine clutched desperately at the knife jutting out of her shoulder. She moaned and swayed on her knees, and standing above her, Jack laughed.

"Does it hurt, slag?"

Catherine glared at him, her eyes glinting with dangerous fire.

"Well, at least you're breathing. That cocky Texas bastard and that stupid nigger can't boast that!"

"Don't call them that!" She snapped automatically, having fended both men from racists and the like in the past.

"Whatever I call them don't change the fact that no oxygen is getting into their systems. Their bodies are already cold."

"That's impossible..." Catherine stammered, her heart beating painfully. "They...they..."

"They ain't breathing, bitch? What is so hard to understand? Stupid septic slut!" he spat.

"Septic?" Catherine raised her eyebrows, her hard exterior covering the endless chorus of '_No!'_s inside her head.

He looked at her as if she was stupid. "It means yank, bitch."

Catherine felt tears trailing down her cheeks. Inside, her heart was crying.

_Nicky...Rick...Nicky...Rick..._

Their names repeated in sync with her heart, each beat alternating her fond nicknames for both of them. Gritting her teeth to stop herself from screaming, she probed the knife wound tentatively.

A mind numbing scream of pure terror made her yelp. "Greg!"

Jack laughed again. "Itzli loves lighters. They're his favourite thing to work with."

Catherine staggered to her feet and stumbled to the door she knew was locked. "Greg!"

A bright light illuminated the dim room, and Catherine turned to the suddenly lit TV screen on the wall. Bile rose in her throat and she gagged violently.

"Oh my god, Sara!" she breathed in horror.

Clutching at her churning stomach, Catherine couldn't tear her eyes from the pure horror depicted on the screen. It had to be fake, had to be...

_Heracles groaned and thrust himself into Sara, who sobbed again. For the past twenty minutes she had screamed until her throat burned, but now her screams subsided, dissolving into pained sobs and cries._

_She felt so dirty. Violated. Exposed. _

_She wished she could feel numb. Instead, every nerve in her body was on super alert. The slightest movement inside her felt like a punch. Her skin was tingling and she could feel every single millimetre her tears had touched on their way down her cheeks._

_"Please...stop..." She sobbed, humiliation flooding every vein._

_Heracles laughed sickeningly, and thrust even harder, before biting down hard on her left breast. She screamed wildly, her dry throat cracking with the effort._

_"Stop it!"_

_"Thanks to little Greggo," he whispered in his ear, "I have almost forty more minutes. The marble jar."_

_Sara groaned as she realised how Greg had tried to protect her. And she had just shouted at him._

_Wishing she could just fade away into the mattress, Sara Sidle closed her eyes._

Catherine watched the man laughing as the camera was brought up to Sara's face. Her eyes were closed tightly, her grimace tugging at Catherine's heartstrings. She wanted to reach through the screen, to drag the man of off her friend and kick him where it hurts with her pointiest six inch heels.

"Get him off her!" she cried, her voice cracking.

"There is only one way that will happen."

"How?" Catherine begged.

"You wanna go?"

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

"Shit!" Grissom cursed. Just like Archie had warned him, they had used a signal on the video camera similar to the one Walter Gordon had used when he had buried Nick – an untraceable one.

He staggered out from the A/V lab, pushing past whichever uniform Ecklie had put on the door to keep people out, and into the nearest men's room.

Then he threw up violently in the nearest stall. He stayed until his stomach was completely empty, and the rational part of his mind was slightly concerned as to why that felt so good. He stumbled to the sink, splashing cold water over his face. He stared up into the mirror. His eyes were red, and his face gaunt, but Gil Grissom could still pull of professionalism. He hoped.

He brought out his cell and pressed 'four' on speed dial.

"_This is Jim Brass." _

"Brass. I want to talk to Anya Frost."

"_Why? Grissom, we have nothing on her..." _

"I know I'm clutching at straws, but maybe she's involved, maybe..."

"_Gil, I know how much you want everyone home, but we can't bring her in with nothing on her. I'll dig up some dirt on her if I can, but at the end of the day, if she's clean, we have no reason to want to talk to her, other than she's the only lead we have." _

"What about Morris' associates?"

"_Doesn't have any. Works alone. No registered cell phone, no car registered, and the home address his parole officer had for him was bogus." _

"Jim, I need something to work with." Grissom practically begged. "I'm still not allowed anywhere near the evidence. Ecklie says he's trying but he'll be hours at least!"

"_I'm sorry Gil. Have you had any news, any more calls, or-"_

"I spoke to Greg. He's afraid, but has no idea where he is."

"_Did he say anything else?" _

Grissom took a deep breath. Trying to sound professional, he saw no reason to lie to Jim Brass, his closet accessible friend. "He said that they told him that Warrick and Nick weren't breathing."

"_Shit..." _

"And...I saw a video, and Greg confirmed, they're...they're..." Grissom's mouth couldn't form the words.

"_They're what?" _

"The big one...Heracles. Sara, tied to the bed, he's..."

"_That goddamn sonofabitch!" Brass yelled down the phone, and Grissom could hear a crash from Brass' office. "Right, I'll call you soon. I'm looking up anything I can on Anya Frost." _

Grissom barely had time to thank Brass before the man hung up.

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Nick swore as he realised that he'd used up his last supply of air in the scream. He watched the last couple of bubbles of oxygen fly to the top of the coffin and pop. With a last adrenalin fuelled surge of energy, Nick braced himself and pushed as hard as he could against the top of the coffin.

It budged.

He pushed with every single bit of strength in his body, and the lid groaned loudly as he threw it off. He flew out of the water, gasping for air. As the burning air filled his lungs, Nick scrambled out of the freezing prison, slipping around for a moment before managing to clamber out of the stupid box. He practically fell onto Warrick's, wrenching the lid off using all his strength.

As soon as the lid was off, he plunged his arms into the water, grasping Warrick's shoulders and dragging him up out of the water. Amazingly, Warrick's eyes flew open and he started to cough, gripping Nick's arm with the strongest grip Nick had ever felt.

"Nick!" Warrick spluttered, "Thanks! Nick..."

He shook his head, water flying everywhere. Despite the situation, Nick was still curious as the how Warrick's hair stayed in an afro. His own hair was plastered over his face, poking down over his eyes slightly.

Warrick grabbed the sides of the coffin with his other hand and propelled himself out of the coffin. The two shivering, soaking men stared at the two women who had put them in the coffins. They were grinning.

"Well, well, well. You actually survived! It took you long enough. I thought we'd have to resuscitate you." Yelira laughed and Victoria nodded.

"Are you crazy?" Warrick's teeth were chattering madly.

"Not at all. We know how much Nicky here loves confined spaces." Victoria purred, and Nick shuddered, glaring at her. Both women wore thick coats, and Nick suddenly became aware that he could see his own breath.

"Why...what...do...you...want?" Nick stuttered, his teeth smashing against each other violently

"Right now, I want the two of you to strip." Yelira said matter of factly.

"What?" Warrick frowned.

She held up two pairs of tracksuit bottoms, underpants, and hoodies.

"Strip."

The friends looked at each other. Still recovering from his panic attack, Nick didn't move, other than to tighten his grip on Warrick's arm.

Victoria sighed angrily and pulled out a small gun. She fired one shot that blew a hole in the floor in the five centimetre gap between Nick's feet. He yelped and jumped into the air. Warrick tugged on his friends arm and dragged him out of the way.

"If you hesitate again, I won't miss." She said dryly. "I also have permission from Acolmiztli to kill one of you if I wish. Now. Strip."

Warrick peeled off his soaking t-shirt, and Nick began to unwrap the t-shirt Greg and Sara had tied around him to stop the bleeding. Next, Warrick pulled of his trousers. Finally, the two men stood there in nothing but boxers, shivering violently.

"All. The. Way." Yelira stated.

For a moment, both men hesitated. Victoria cocked the gun and aimed it at Nick's gut. Heads hung low, the two men removed their boxers, trying to cover themselves with their hands.

"Okay." Victoria and Yelira walked up to the two men. They places the clothes on two chairs either side of the coffins.

Warrick stiffened as the twins began to dress him and Nick, probing and giggling like choir girls as they did so. He glanced at Nick, who was staring adamantly at the ceiling. Warrick thought he could see the ghost of tears in his friend's eyes and Victoria fondled him.

After what seemed to be an eternal minute, the sisters lifted up their feet and pulled on the tracksuit bottoms. Nick sniffed slightly, shuddering even more as Victoria's hands once again squeezed the Stokes family jewels.

Finally, the two hoodies were pulled over their heads, the two girls running their hands over the two chiselled chests and toned stomachs.

"Now we're all comfortable," Victoria purred, her hands lingering over Nick's belly button. "You two have a little show to watch."

There was a loud clunk and the purring of machinery and the TV screen that had previously been on the wall moved down onto the wall. Nick's mouth dropped open in horror. He had been right. Heracles was...he was...

"Jesus christ, Sara." Warrick breathed, his eyes wide and horrified.

The man onscreen leant down and bit down hard on Sara, and then her frightened, pained, pale face filled the screen. Nick turned away, squeezing his eyes shut as tight as he could.

Out of them all, he knew the most how she was feeling. Dirty, afraid, violated. It was how he had felt when the babysitter had molested him all those years ago. It was these emotions that had resurfaced slightly when Victoria had started the same way the babysitter had. But he knew that the physical pain of what Sara was going through was nothing like anything he had ever experienced, and hopefully he never would.

Warrick felt numb. His body itself was slightly numb from the cold, but he felt almost separate from his body, as his mind wandered back six or so years.

"_You're up 11gs, hit or stay?" Warrick was gambling again, trying to get the money for that godamn blackmailing Judge, and trying to forget about what he had done, leaving Holly at a crime scene, letting her get shot. He was trying to forget being under investigation. Trying to forget that Grissom was bringing in a San Francisco CSI to investigate _him.

"_Stay," an unfamiliar voice chimed. "I wanna talk to you." _

_Warrick sighed, and followed this 'Sara Sidle' person away from the table to a nearby bar, where he ordered a coffee. _

"_You're playing a hundred on every spot. Do you have a system?" she asked._

"_Counting cards." Warrick said glumly. _

"_Isn't that illegal?"_

_Irritated, Warrick replied, "not if you do the math in your head." _

_She had gone on to interrogate him about Holly Gribbs, and she had been damn right when she asked him if he had been gambling. _

"_You know how many times I got left at a crime scene when _I _was a rookie?" he snapped angrily. _

_The woman had replied, "Well, this time it's different." _

"_Yeah, and why's that?" _

"_Holly Gribbs died on the operating table twenty minutes ago," _

_And just like that, this stranger had brought his world crashing down upon his shoulders. Guilt and anger flooded him. Anger directed at the murder suspect, and at Sara Sidle. _

"_I don't care if Grissom trusts her, she just waltzes in here, accuses me of gambling on duty, then just tells me Holly _died _as if she was telling me it was raining outside!" _

"And were you?"_ Nick's voice crackled down the phone._

"_Was I what?" _

"Gambling."

"_That's not the point..." _

"Warrick..."

"_Okay. I was. Jesus, Nick, I feel awful enough as it is!" _

"I know man. I know."

"_But this Sara Sidle-"_

_Nick interrupted, ever the piece maker. _"Do me a favour, Warrick. Don't bite her head off, you'll just dig yourself a deeper hole. Besides, she might be alright. She's quite hot. And she's just doing her job, man."

"_Fine, fine." Warrick grumbled. "But don't expect me to _ever _like her." _

In about three weeks, he and Sara could tolerate each other. Three months and they were friends. Three years, and he silently counted Sara among his 'siblings' at work. The enormous amount of hate he had had for her at first had dissipated, and turned into affection and even love. Not to mention a fair bit of admiration-though he would never admit it.

Now she was being violated in the worst way possible, and he had no idea what to do. What he wanted to do was barge in there and drag the guy off her, smashing his fist into his good for nothing ugly face.

But he couldn't. That would make it worse.

"We'll leave you two to enjoy the show." Victoria sang sweetly, leaving the room with her twin and bolting it closed from the outside.

Nick staggered forwards and slumped against the wall under the TV, dropping his head onto his knees. Warrick followed him, slightly confused. Nick seemed to sense the puzzlement, and lifted his head, his eyes slightly red.

"If we're under it, we can't see it." He explained, his head flopping against the wall. It was as if he didn't have the strength to hold it upright.

"Oh, shit..."

"What? What else could possibly go wrong?" Nick cried angrily.

"The water on the floor. It's ice."

"What?" Nick hissed. "Oh, goddamn it!"

They sat together on the floor, trying to conserve heat. Despite the dry clothing, the two men both shivered violently. Having grown up in Texas and Las Vegas, they weren't the most accustomed to cold. They were going to freeze, Warrick thought miserably. While Catherine and Greg were screaming, Sara was being raped and Grissom watched. The temperature in the room was well below freezing.

Nick body dragged him in and out of an uneasy sleep to the sound of Sara's continual sobs, a song that he didn't quite recognise swirling around his head. It kind of made sense...he thought. As he was dragged under, he felt like screaming the lyrics to Warrick, who was desperately trying to keep Nick awake, or maybe even to that Acolmiztli person. But he was being sucked into unconsciousness, so all he could do was run the lyrics in his head.

_"And by the time I'm dreaming, _

_And you've crept out on me sleeping, _

_I'm busy in the blissful unaware_

_And by the time I'm dreaming, _

_And you've crept out on me sleeping, _

_Tell me how am I supposed to care?"_

**(I don't own the song, it is "By the Time" by Mika! :) Thanks for reading, pretty please leave a review if you can!)**


	24. Chapter 23

**Hi! Super quick update before I go to bed on my birthday! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, thanks so so so much! Love you guys! **

**As I said, super quick authors note! Read, Enjoy, Review**

**Chapter Twenty Three**

Sara looked up desperately as the door opened. Her heart fell as Catherine was pushed through the doorway, but to her surprise, the older woman didn't look at Sara at all. I took her a second to realise that her superior was trying not to humiliate Sara further.

Heracles stopped and climbed off Sara. She whimpered in relief, but screamed as his fist flew into the already aching, most private part of her body.

"Stop!" Catherine cried in a heartbroken voice. She turned to Jack. "You promised."

The man shrugged, and untied Sara's legs from the end of the bed. Trying to control her sobbing she clamped her legs shut, bringing them up close to her chest to cover herself. Heracles ripped the bonds keeping her chained to the wall away, and threw the brunette to the floor. Her naturally skinny frame was decreased in size by the food deprivation, making the large force he used to throw her unnecessarily strong. She moaned softly, and as Jack tied Catherine to the bed, Heracles grasped a handful of Sara's hair.

"She's strong enough to offer to take your turn. You have to watch. Or we'll kill her." He sneered.

After removing the blonde's clothes, Jack stepped back, and Heracles went to begin his assault on ` Catherine. Jack came up behind Sara, stroking her hips and breasts as he dragged her hands behind her back. He pulled her naked body against him, and silent tears trickled down her face, as horrified, she watched the same thing happen to Catherine that had happened to her.

Catherine's mouth remained stubbornly closed. Although she gasped and groaned with the pain, she knew what it would do to Sara if she screamed, so she grimaced and bared it.

"No..." Sara moaned softly. "Stop, please don't hurt-"

She was cut off by Jack's large hand clamping over her mouth. "Say another word, and see that knife wound on her shoulder? I'll give her a matching one on the other side."

Sara hung her head, but Jack's other hand left her breasts with a tight squeeze to wrench her head back.

"I said watch."

Sara's eyes glanced at the clock. The reflection of the light on it grinned at her evilly as it dragged its hands, not allowing the hour to end.

**CSICSIVCSIV**

Writhing away from the devil's own flame, Greg screamed bloody murder. He screamed until his throat burned as much as his stomach, and then screamed some more.

"Stoooop! Pleeeaaase!"

Itzli laughed wholeheartedly. Then his face fell a tiny fraction. "Oh, I'm out of lighter fluid. Shit."

Greg sobbed in relief as the flame died, though the freshly bubbling skin hurt more than ever.

"Next lighter..."

"No, please! I'll watch. I...I'll watch." He begged in defeat.

Itzli shrugged, and wrenched Greg around to face the screen. Greg reeled at the sight of Sara, standing and sobbing in front of Jack. Then he glanced at the bed, and his recently lifted heart fell.

"Catherine!" He whispered in an anguish filled voice. The two women he cared about the most in the world. His 'mom' and his 'sister'. He couldn't imagine a worse situation. They had both been...

God, all the cases with victims of it that he'd investigated, he couldn't bring himself to even think of the word. Not in that context. Not when it involved...

The burning in Greg's stomach tied his eyes to the screen, but the emotional burning was just as bad. Finally, the clock hands announced the end of the hour, and Greg watched as with a final push, Heracles heaved himself up off of Catherine.

**CSIVCSICSIV**

The woman shuddered in the bed as she was untied, and Heracles threw her a clean bra and pair of pants, and a short, sleeveless jumpsuit. It was barely enough to cover her torso and bottom, and with her painful body, Catherine moved slowly put them on. But after pulling the underwear on, she glanced at the still naked Sara. She knew that as an ex show girl, however awkward she may feel, the modest Sara Sidle would feel a million times worse. With a shaking hand she held out the jumpsuit, but Heracles slapped her on the wrist with a small piece of bamboo.

"She gets one, too. I swear." His voice dripped with childish sarcasm.

Reluctantly, Catherine slid into the jumpsuit. She still felt dirty, violated and sticky, not to mention the physical pain throbbing underneath, but above all, she felt relieved.

Relieved that she was dressed. Relieved it was _over_. Relieved that she had been able to get him off of Sara. Relieved that she herself had the courage to actually _tell _him to.

Unsure of what to do, she watched as Sara was dressed by Jack and his wandering hands, until she was in the same, skimpy jumpsuit as Catherine. Her usually pale skin was stark white, the extreme of it strengthened by the black jumpsuit. It was lined with a small section of pink lace, and covered in small, pea sized pink dots. The was more than Catherine used to wear as a stripper, but a hell of a lot less than Sara felt comfortable with in public.

The two men slunk out of the room, laughing raunchily. Only Acolmiztli remained, staring at the two traumatised women.

"Did you like that? Didn't think so. You're friends didn't seem to. Ms. Sidle, I'm sure you'll be please to know that we only showed Dr. Grissom ten minutes of it. That marble jar that you were so insistent meant nothing? If Mr. Sanders hadn't pulled those knives out, you would have endured an extra half an hour between you. And the way you looked at him for it..."

"Greg," Sara whispered guiltily. Was he alive? Two were dead... not breathing...dead...

_Oh please, god, no, not Greg, not when he, have to say thank you, not Greg, not Greg, not Greg, little Greggo, sweet little lab tech, fast learning CSI, not Greg, not Greg, not my Greg!_

But if it wasn't Greg, then Nick and Warrick...

_Big brothers, Nick, coffin, already lost him once, Warrick, never told him how much I appreciated and respected him. My boys, my brothers, my brothers, cute yet gentlemanly Texan Nick, smooth, gentle yet feisty Warrick...not dead, oh, please god, don't let them be dead!_

Every combination was unbearable, unthinkable.

A strangled sob burst from Sara's lips, and she met eyes with Catherine, both searching desperately for comfort within each other's stares.

"Now, the two of you will be reunited with the breathing shortly for a slight interval in a few minutes. I am going to make a phone call to our dear Dr. Grissom." Too tired to protest, the female members of CSIs grave shift watched as he left.

As soon as the door closed, Catherine fell out of the bed, stumbling towards Sara who collapsed towards the blonde. Both proud women let out small sobs, as they clutched each other in a rare embrace.

Sara had seen many rape victims too traumatised to stand being touched, but she just wanted to know that there was someone there who wouldn't hurt her, who she could trust. And she knew that she could trust Catherine.

"What did you do?" She cringed as her voice came out as a whimper.

Knowing exactly what Sara meant, Catherine hugged her tighter. "I couldn't let them...he said the only way to stop it...I was a show girl, Sara. I dealt with rough customers. I know it isn't the same, but I had to do something."

"No, you didn't." Sara moaned into Catherine's hair. "I...I could have taken it."

"Sara," Catherine murmured, "You're the type of girl who _thrives _on privacy, dignity. Now, I try to be too, but I-"

"Just because you were a stripper, it doesn't make you immune to rape." Sara chipped in angrily.

"Sara...what would you have done in my position?"

There was a long silence from the brunette. "I'm sorry, Catherine."

"Don't be, honey. You didn't do anything to me."

Sara sniffed. "Sounds like a Nick thing to say."

Catherine laughed.

"Thank you, Cath." Sara mumbled as they withdrew from the embrace. They sat together by the bed, close next to each other.

"No problem, Sara."

"You don't think...I mean, they must have been lying, right...no one could be..."

Catherine sighed sadly. "Sara...when I came down the corridor, Greg was screaming. But Jack told me that Nick and Warrick...he said their bodies were already cold."

Sara covered her mouth with her arm, but the single sob that escaped was just that – single.

The strong walls that protected Sara Sidle were being rebuilt, at a speed that would make even Gil Grissom jealous.

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Greg sighed as the screen faded to black on the women's embrace.

"See? Hours over, Greg. Now unless you want another marble, I suggest you do exactly as I say." Despite the threats, Itzli still managed to come across as smooth.

"I will." Greg whispered, not meeting the man's eyes.

"Stand up. Put your hands on your head."

Greg obeyed, and followed Itzli's pointed finger, walking steadily towards the door. The man came up behind him and placed a cold, hard hand on the back of his neck, leading him into the corridor. His eyes flickered down the hallway to the door where Sara and Cath were being held, but for fear of the marble jar he didn't move his head. Itzli led him to door and Greg could feel a chill on the door.

"Y'know," Itzli murmured in Greg's ear, "you're not so bad. Jack said that you'd be a skinny wimp. But you ain't so bad. If I swung that way..."

Both the heartless chuckled and the ghostly hand tracing across Greg's decimated but still slightly toned abs caused shivers down his spine.

"However," Itzli's voice lowered to a whisper as his hand flattened. "Jack will swing that way, he has no preference, especially when it comes to people as innocent looking as you. That is not even mentioning the twins. So if I were you, pretty boy, I'd watch out."

Greg tried hard not to gag and Itzli pulled the door open, a wall of cold air smashing into him, freezing the majority of his body but merely neutralizing the pain in his stomach. His heart fluttered painfully and he couldn't help the groan. Warrick's open eyes stared at him, his body frozen in a hunched sitting position under a large TV screen. Nick's eyes were closed, and his body leaned slightly against Warrick. A thin film of frost covered their faces, and Greg could see frozen drops of water on Warrick's face.

Greg froze. Tears pricked in the corners of his eyes, but the cold seemed to freeze them almost immediately. He blinked rapidly, his mouth popping open.

"No..." he breathed, "No...Nick, Warrick..._Nick!" _As his whispers turned to cries he lunged forward. _"No!" _

Itzli's hand clenched and Greg stumbled to the floor. "Marbles, punk."

"No," Greg whimpered. Despite what he'd been told, he couldn't believe his eyes. "No, no, no, no, no!"

He stared desperately at his friends, his eyes running over Nick's quivering hoodie, Warrick's slowly blinking eyes. Wait, blinking?

"You!" Itzli barked. "Get up."

"Warrick?" Greg whispered. The tall man's eyes opened and closed again, and he glared at Itzli. Looking closer, Greg could see the violent shivering shaking Warrick's whole body.

Something cold and sharp pressed against Greg's jugular. "Get up, or watch me cut this kid's throat. Victoria has _Licence to Kill_. So do I."

At any other time, Greg would have scoffed at the lousy James Bond reference. Instead, he stayed silent, hope of his friends being alive warming his heart, regardless of the knife at his throat.

Warrick immediately, albeit stiffly, raised his hands above his head. "Don't," He croaked, "Wait."

He tried to move his frozen limbs, but Itzli snapped at him, "That guy, too."

Greg glanced at Nick hopefully. Warrick shook Nick's shoulders and muttered something in his ear.

"Quickly!"

Warrick glared at him. "I can't wake him up! Believe me, I've tried!"

Itzli shifted his grip around Greg's neck and pressed the knife in further. Greg hissed as the knife broke his skin. Warrick's eyes bulged in horror seeing the blood bubble at the wound, and his hands flew back onto Nick's shoulders.

"Stop, man, stop, I've tried, he's hypothermic !" he panicked. "He won't wake up!"

Greg moaned as the knife dug deeper, cutting further into his skin. He didn't dare talk or move.

"Nick!" Warrick cried, turning to his friend and firmly shaking his shoulders. "Nick you gotta wake up." Greg couldn't stop the cry escaping his lips as the knife inched further into his skin. Warrick's tone became more desperate. "Nicky, you hear me? They're gonna kill Greg, if you don't wake up, they're gonna kill Greggo, now, you gotta wake up. Please, Nick!"

The Texan's eyes moved under his eyelids, but other than that and shivering he didn't stir.

"If he doesn't wake up in two minutes..."

Greg tried to wince away from the blade digging forever deeper but Itzli's other hand was firm against his neck. Suddenly the blade was removed, causing Greg to feel the slightly warm trickle of blood down his throat.

"You call him!" Itzli ordered the frightened young man.

"Nick," he croaked painfully. "Please, wake up, Nick."

_There was a blinding light beneath his eyelids. He was warm, lusciously so. _

"_Snug as a bug in a rug!" his mother's voice laughed. _

_Snug as a bug in a rug. He was. Lovely and warm. And comfortable. Nothing hurt. Nick smiled, only he couldn't feel his face. That was kinda worrying. But oh well. _

_Nick smiled internally. He was happy here. He would stay here for a long time, and no one could drag him away. _

"Nick! You've gotta wake up."

_**Noooo! Don't!**__ The voice in Nick's head ordered. __**You can stay here a little longer. It's nice. You don't gotta wake up yet. **_

"Nicky, you hear me?"

_**No! We don't hear you. Go. Away. 're happy. **_

"They're gonna kill Greg,"

_**No, no, no, go away, go away!**_

_Isn't that selfish? _

_**No, someone else will help Greg. You don't have to."**_

"if you don't wake up..."

_So that is my fault. I should wake up now!_

_**No, no. He's bluffing. Greg isn't important. You just have to stay here, Greg doesn't matter. We don't care about Greg. You don't know anyone called Greg.**_

_I don't?_

_**No, you don't.**_

_Oh. _

"They're gonna kill Greggo,"

_**You don't care. **_

_Greggo?... Oh my god, Greg! _

_**You don't know Greg. **_

_Yes I do. Greg, oh Jesus, Greg, Greg! I gotta wake up!_

_**It'll hurt. It will scare you! **_

_I'm not important. It's Greg! Greggo! G! Of course I know him. _

_**Don't wake up, won't wake up, can't wake up!**_

_Wake up, Nicky, wake up!_

"You gotta wake up. Please, Nick!"

_Wake up, Nick! Wake up! _

_**Nooooooo!**_

"Nick!"

_Greg?_

"Please, wake up, Nick."

_I'm trying, I'm trying! _

_**Stay. Asleep. **_

Please, wake up, Nick, please, wake up, Nick, please wake up, Nick...

_Greg's voice ticked around like a clock in his head, asking him, _begging _him to wake up. _

_**It will be okay. Stay asleep. Greg doesn't matter. **_

_The hell he doesn't! _

_**No! Don't you dare!**_

As all the pain and cold flooded into his body, Nick Stokes opened his frozen eyes.

**For anyone who got confused by the last bit, the **_**bold italics **_**were a voice in Nick's head, the **_underlined italics, _**were Nick's thoughts, the **normal font **was Warrick (and greg) talking and the **_normal italics _**were descriptions of what was going though Nick's head! Tell me if you think it worked, the end of this chapter began to focus more on the realtionships (strictly NON romantic) between the boys and there will be more of that coming up ASAP.**

**Please, if you can, drop a review, I love knowing how to improve!**


	25. Chapter 24

**Howdy! Thanks so much to si-te-hace-feliz, Marymel, Shannon, W.S.C Magica de Spell, guest(whoever you are :)) for your epic reviews! I'm so happy you like this story! Here we go, chapter twenty four, my longest story I have ever written, I think! **

**However, I know that more of you are reading this, (I see the hits and visitors) thanks so much for taking the time to read it. I would LOVE it if people would tell me what they think, even if its just a few words!**

**So, Read, Enjoy, Review!**

**Chapter Twenty Four**

"_Wait, Grissom? Don't hang up! Please, Grissom, don't, don't hang up..." _

"_That's right, you know? I should be just like you. Alone in my hermetically sealed condo, watching discovery on the big screen, working genius level crossword puzzles. But no relationships. No chance any of it will slop over into a case. That's right I wanna be just like you..." _

_Catherine's voice merged to Sara's..._

"_You wanna sleep with me...that way when I wake up in a cold sweat under the blanket hearing Kay's screams, you can tell me it's nothing. Just empathy." _

_Nick's..._

"_I never meant to disappoint you..."_

_Warrick's..._

"_I know, I messed up...I won't let you down again..."_

_Nick's again..._

"_If I'm not ready, be a man! Tell me I'm not ready...I want you to think I am a good CSI..."_

_Greg's..._

"_You make me nervous..." _

"_"Grissom...Where...where did you get that picture?"_

_Nick's _again...

_"Sir, I'm sorry. I'm so, so, sorry, I didn't mean to leave Sara, I thought I'd be the only one who could get hurt, I...I tried to save Greg, they told me...it's all my fault..."_

_Back to Sara's_

"_GRISSOM!"_

_Then his own..._

_"We will talk about this when you get back to the lab. No stops Stokes. No stops."_

_Nick, crying, writhing in a bed of knives..._

_Sara, screaming, a large man on top of her, thrusting his hips..._

_Greg, whimpering, begging down the phone..._

_Warrick, grunting, fists flying into his body, his stomach, his face..._

_Catherine, convulsing, electricity shooting through her body..._

_His team, his family, tortured, reduced to begging for help. _

_Nick glared at Grissom. "Why aren't you helping us?"_

_"Yeah," Greg added, "What sort of a boss are you? You're just gonna let us die?"_

_"Grissom? They raped me. Don't you care? Why didn't you make them stop?" Sara asked._

_"You just lay there on the ground while they shoved me into the trunk. How gentlemanly of you, Gil." Catherine scoffed. _

_"Aren't you doing anything? Why haven't you found us yet?" Warrick spat and Grissom recoiled. _

_Their hate filled faces pierced his heart. "I'm sorry!" he cried. They just shook their heads simultaneously, and faded away. "No! Wait! I'm trying..." _

_The tattooed man Grissom had come to think of as the devil approached him. "Hello Dr. Grissom." _

"_Give me my CSIs back!" _

"_You will never get them back."_

_In a blur of colour, Acolmiztli was replaced by Nick, huddled, sobbing in a heap on the floor, a large round bullet wound in the middle of his forehead. "Grissom, please!" _

_Greg appeared next, his throat cut from ear to ear, the wound almost decapitating, "Help me. Help us." _

"_Don't let them hurt us anymore." Sara pleaded, hanging by her neck from the ceiling next to Greg's face, a river of blood pouring down her legs._

"_Just hurry." Warrick urged, a huge chunk missing from the side of his head, his hair sticky with blood. _

"_It's already too late." Catherine sighed, her head laying a few feet away from her body. _

_A blinding white light transported Grissom to the morgue. Five tables bore five bodies of five loved ones. Al looked at him with a look of pure loathing. _

"_You were too late. If you had just done your job, I wouldn't have to do this. They would still be alive. They are dead, Gil. Dead, dead, dead..." _

_Robbins turned into Brass, "Because your head was so far down the microscope, you didn't even bother trying to find them. Don't bother coming to the funerals. We all know you don't care." _

"_No!" Grissom cried. "No!" suddenly he was in a long corridor. At the end, he could see his guys, happy, laughing..._

_He ran as fast as he could, sprinting down the corridor, but when he got there, the big glass door remained closed. Catherine floated up to it. _

"_We're in heaven. _You _can't come in. You're not dead. And anyway you let us die. You don't deserve heaven. So, we won't be seeing _you _around anymore." _

"_Goodbye, Grissom!" They all sang, their voices sounding like a choir of children. _

"_NO!" he yelled, "NO!" _

"No!"

"Um, Dr. Grissom?" a light hand tapped his shoulder.

Grissom's head flew off his desk, and his eyes opened. He blinked. He was in his office. So, it was...nightmare. Grissom pinched the bridge of his nose for a second, before looking up to see an attractive middle aged woman and a tall, grey haired man staring at him with concern. He could tell that when they were younger, they would have both had looks to be the envy of a lot of people. He also knew who they were.

"Judge Stokes...Mrs. Stokes...I'm sorry, I just, erm..."

"Fell asleep?" The Judge's tone was not unkind. "Dr. Grissom, I know that you're doing everything you can for my boy and the others. We're here because we want to help in any way we can."

"You don't look like you've slept in a week." Mrs. Stokes said softly.

Grissom half laughed. "Greg Sanders, my youngest and newest CSI, was kidnapped a week ago. I haven't slept since, no."

"It's always the youngest that gets in the most trouble." Mrs. Stokes nodded. "Nicky has scared us many more times than the others. Has done, ever since he was a kid."

"This is the second time in less than a year that you've called us to say Pancho has been abducted. Now, if he didn't speak so highly of you, I would do everything in my power to cripple you. But from what I've heard from him, you seem to care a lot about your team. That much was evident, when he was...buried...If you need anything, anything at all, do not hesitate to ask." Judge Stokes said somewhat shakily.

Grissom smiled sadly at the man. "Thank you." he paused. "Actually, there is something...could you follow me please?"

Grissom led Nick's parents through to the evidence vault, and pulled out a box. "Nick recovered this envelope from Greg's apartment."

"Greg? That's the nice, funny, Norwegian man, good friends with Nick? We met him in the hospital. Is he alright? He and Nick were almost acting like brothers, joking about someone called Papa Olaf or something..." Mrs. Stokes asked softly.

Grissom smiled softly at the last part...the number of times he had seen Nick and Greg act like brothers, or the number of times Greg had spoken about his grandfather. However, her question wiped the tiny smile off his face. "He...he's my youngest CSI. The first one taken."

Mrs. Stokes closed her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault." Grissom pulled the photos out of the envelope and removed the one of the six year old Nick. He looked at the photograph for a second. Nick's face was slightly chubbier, but his sparkling eyes hadn't changed a bit. Neither had his dark hair. The lack of his two front teeth showed a childlike innocence that Nick hadn't completely lost despite his years on the job. With a bittersweet smile he passed it gently to Nick's parents.

"Do you have any idea how they could have gotten this photograph?"

Mrs. Stokes frowned. "My god... Robert, my eldest son took this." She smiled slightly. "He was 21, almost finished college. Said he was the only kid to go home for spring break. His older sister, Joanne had come back, too. She was 26. Nicky was six, a year younger than Joanne's oldest, Jacob. They made a human pyramid, Nick was the top of it, and so proud...It was a family tradition you see, to make the pyramid, and it was said that you had to be tough to be at the top. He always tried to prove himself to everyone...I think we may have babied him a little, he was almost seven years younger than Mary-Jane and Lily, they were twins, the two second youngest, and twenty years younger than Joanne, who gave birth to Jacob a month after I found myself pregnant with Nick. I suppose babying him was inevitable when he was younger than his oldest nephew...

Anyway, when they took the photo, Nick was the only child in a way...Mary-Jane was 13 and counted herself a teenager, fully set on being a gymnast. But that was the last family reunion before the, uh, the car accident. Ethan had just got his driver's licence, and Katie was teaching him how to drive. They were driving Lily, May-Jane and Nick to school when an alcoholic came flying out the other way. By some miracle they all survived, but Mary-Jane was left in a wheelchair, Nicky got a broken arm...There were no more pyramids after that...

Rob told me about five months ago he found this whilst sorting out his attic. Apparently he found a few rolls of film he forgot to get developed, typical of him. This was one of a set of photos he took that day. He sent Nick a copy of this one photo...He sent it to all his siblings. It was everyone's favourite...I carry a copy in my purse..." her voice broke

"I have no idea how the hell they got their hands on it." Judge Stokes said an angry undertone to his voice as he put his arm around his wife.

Mrs. Stokes' eyes filled with tears as she passed the photo back. "I take it that's evidence."

Grissom nodded. "I swear to you, I am doing everything I can."

"We believe you. We know you want Nick back as much as we do." Mrs. Stokes shook Grissom's hand. "Excuse me. Is there a ladies room...?"

"Right down the hall on your left." Grissom replied automatically. He was struck by the difference in the attitudes of Nick's parents. They were a lot more sympathetic, he guessed probably because he looked a wreck.

"Thank you."

As he watched his wife leave, the Judge turned back to Grissom. "I want to know...do you know if Pancho is injured?" Grissom's eyes fluttered downwards, but Nick's father continued. "I have seven children. I have learnt to tell when one of them is hurt, and I know that Nick...He's the baby of our family. The one everyone feels the need to protect. In your family..."

"He plays the older brother." Grissom explained softly. "He looks out for everyone. Protects everyone."

Judge Stokes smiled sadly. "I figured from the way he talks about y'all. But I need to know what you know..."

Grissom closed his eyes. "Just over a week ago, a woman we know only as Yelira used a branding iron on his back. There was no sign of infection, and that seemed to be healing fine..."

Other than wincing, the Judge remained composed. "There's something else?"

"I received a video link, with instructions to be watched by myself, Catherine Willows and Warrick Brown, who at the time were yet to have been abducted." Grissom's voice continued to waver as he carried on. "We saw two men inserting small knives into Nick's right leg, back and left arm. They seemed to be more intent on causing pain than causing major internally damage. They tied a small chain through the knives and forced Greg to pull them out."

Judge Bill Stokes wiped a tear from his eye as he stared at the photo of the little boy.

"I will find every single person my son sent that list to and I will not rest until we find my son." He swore.

Grissom met the man's eyes, and a mutual understanding passed between them. "Neither will I."

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

"Finally!" Itzli rolled his eyes as Nick blinked groggily. Suddenly, the Texan's eyes widened at the sight of the blood around Greg's neck.

"Greg!" he cried in a creaking frozen voice.

"Get up, slowly, both of you."

The two men slowly eased their way up the wall, painfully moving their frozen limbs. Nick's eyes never left the deepening gash in Greg's throat.

"Thank you. I'm sure this little boy will tell you how grateful he is later. Right now, move. Out of the door. Now, you can try to run if you like. But killing is the biggest turn on you can imagine. And this-" Itzli violently twisted the knife, causing Greg to whimper in pain as the blade attacked more of his flesh. Itzli smiled as he listened to the sound. "-that is the sweetest sound that you will ever here."

"Don't..." Nick croaked.

"Walk."

Warrick began walking forwards, and Nick followed weakly, limping heavily due to the knife wounds in his right leg. Itzli motioned for them to walk towards the room where Sara and Catherine were being held.

"Open the door."

Warrick lifted up the heavy latch and pulled open the door. Itzli kicked Nick in, and without the use of his right leg the man fell straight to the floor with a groan. Warrick stumbled in next, and finally Itzli and Greg came through the door.

Sara and Catherine were huddled together on a bed, and both women stared in alarm at the large wound in Greg's neck.

Itzli shifted his grip on the back of Greg's neck once more, and muttered through gritted teeth into his ear. "One more flick of my wrist, kid, and you bleed out in seconds."

"Leave him alone!" Sara whispered, fear stopping her from shouting. "Stop hurting him!"

"Oh, I will." Itzli grinned.

He flicked his wrist.

Blood flew in all directions as Greg fell to the floor.

"NO!" Warrick and Catherine yelled.

"_GREG!" _Nick and Sara screamed.

Itzli left the room with a grin as Nick dragged himself to Greg.

"No, no, no!" he murmured, his freezing hands turning over his friend's body. "Greg?"

A voice that sounded vaguely like Victoria's began singing sweetly, the music filling the room.

"_Tell me it's not true,_

_Say it's just a story,_

_Something on the news,_

_Tell me it's not true,_

_No it's here before me_

_Say it's just a dream, _

_Say it's just a scene_

_From an old movie of years ago_

_From an old movie of Marilyn Monroe's._

_Say it's just some clowns_

_Two players in the limelight _

_And bring the curtain down_

_Say it's just some clowns_

_Who couldn't get their lines right_

_Say it's just a show_

_On the radio_

_That we can turn over and start again_

_That we can turn over,_

_It's only a game..." _

"Greg! Greg! No, Greg, wake up!" Nick cried desperately. Suddenly, Greg opened his eyes.

"Nick..." the younger man spluttered, "Nick..."

Sara tumbled off the bed, and grasped Greg's hand, placing her other hand onto his bloody neck to try and stem the bleeding. Then she smiled at him.

"Thank god - he missed your artery!" she cried happily. Greg's eyes fluttered closed in relief, but when Nick and Sara gasped they flew open again.

"I'm...good..." he hesitantly raised his hand to his neck. "Looks...worse...Sara, Cath...I'm...sorry."

Nick and Warrick exchanged glances, but the two women knew exactly what he meant. Sara leaned close to his ear.

"It's not your fault," she whispered. "He just wanted an excuse. You protected us as much as you could, and that means the world to me, Greg."

He smiled sadly, tears in his eyes. "But...I..."

"Greg," Catherine smiled, coming to sit by his head. "If it makes you feel any better...I forgive you."

Greg's smiled broadened at Catherine's encouragement and he eased himself to a sitting position.

"Here. Sara, do you mind...?" Catherine held up her discarded, torn tank top.

Sara shook her head and shuddered gracefully. "Go for it."

Catherine gently but firmly wrapped the blue fabric round Greg's neck. Blood seeped through, but it was little enough to put all the CSIs at ease.

"I thought you were dead." Sara admitted, glancing at the three men she considered brothers. "They told us you weren't breathing."

Then the young man timidly reached out to Sara, who leaned almost eagerly into the younger man's embrace. The two friends buried their faces in each other's hair as Warrick looked at Nick and said grimly,

"We weren't."

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

"You're right." Itzli breathed in her ear. "His whimpers are such a turn on."

Victoria kissed the man's cheek. "I wanna keep him. Let's not kill him just yet. We don't have to use the licence just yet."

"No. Besides, Jack would kill us himself if he didn't get a go."

Victoria looked at the childlike innocence beaming from their youngest captive.

"I know. He can't wait. He likes men, women, boys, girls either way, but most of all..."

"He loves the innocent."

**PS~how did you like the bit about Nick's past? Was it too much? Okay? Interesting? dull? I'm still experimenting here, so it's great if you can give me some results (lol!) Thanks! **


	26. Chapter 25

**Okay. Chapter Twenty five! Thanks to Lamborga, W.S.C Magica De Spell, Montydam and Marymel for reviewing the last chapter! More review would be nice though, you other people :P **

**BTW I have posted a new story. For anyone who cares it should not interfere with this one, but if I get more reviews relative to this one then it will take priority. It is called The Best I Ever Had – I've taken the 'what if our csi's were in high school idea', but have a dark and twisted story planned with angst (of course) it will also be my first attempt at a little romance :s**

**Okay, this story= for the next chapter : Read, Enjoy, Review.**

**Chapter Twenty Five**

"You weren't breathing!" Catherine gasped.

Nick glanced at Warrick. "C..." He closed his eyes for a second. "Coffins. They pushed us in and filled them with water."

"I woulda drowned if Nick hadn't of managed to push it open and get us both out." Warrick explained.

"Adrenalin rush." Nick shrugged. "Then they locked us in a freezer."

Warrick noticed how Nick omitted the part about being dressed by the two women, but didn't say anything.

Greg let go of Sara with one arm to touch Nick's.

"Yow! You're freezing."

"And you're burning up!" Sara frowned. Warrick and Nick both instantly grabbed the tops of Greg's arms.

"Hey!"

"Ah!" Nick smiled. "Wanna hug, Greg?" To his surprise, Greg shrugged and wrapped his eyes around Nick. "Better?"

Nick shuddered. Greg was burning up. But at the same time, it was better. "Thanks."

Sara touched Warrick's arm gently. After feeling how cold she was, she put an arm around his shoulders. Catherine came round and put her arm around him on the other side and held one of Nick's hands, joining them all together. They stayed like that in silence for a while.

"I miss my bed." Greg said suddenly. Everyone looked at him incredulously. "Well, I have this amazing king sized bed, memory foam mattress, awesome duvet. It's the best. So heavenly. I miss it."

"I miss food." Sara added. "What I wouldn't do for a steak and a shot..." She winked at Nick

"I miss...discovery channel." Everyone laughed at Nick for a minute.

"I miss Tina." Warrick sighed. "And her cooking."

"I miss...Lindsey..." Catherine murmured. "And paracetamol."

"I miss Grissom." Greg announced.

"But would he honestly know what to do?" Nick frowned. "He wouldn't have any more idea than us."

"No," Catherine said, "But he'd pretend that he did to make us feel better without even knowing he was doing it."

"That's Grissom." Warrick nodded.

"I spoke to him." Greg said softly.

"You what?" Catherine gasped.

"While Heracles was..." Greg glanced at Sara and then looked away. He swallowed, trying to get rid of the horrible dry feeling in his mouth. "Anyway...Itzli wanted me to talk to Grissom. I don't know why. He dialled the phone and gave it to me."

"What did you say?" Catherine urged.

Greg shrugged, trying not to let tears leak into his eyes. "He doesn't know where we are. I asked him. He said to hang on."

No one spoke as if waiting for Greg to continue, but he didn't continue.

Unconsciously, everyone tightened their grip on each other. Nick shivered, but he could feel his temperature slowly rising. He remembered watching a program that mentioned that human to human contact was not a very efficient way of heating up a hypothermic. However, Greg was running a high fever, not to mention his burned stomach, and Nick felt like he was warming up nicely.

As they waited anxiously for something to happen, one by one they dozed off.

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Brass pounded once again on the door to Anya Frost's apartment. What Grissom had told him about Sara sickened him. Rapes usually sent a churning feeling to his gut - not that he would ever show it - but Sara...the thought of Sara being violated like that made him want to throw up until there was nothing left in his stomach. He smashed his fist into the door.

"LVPD!" he shouted.

True, grasping at straws wasn't exactly his style, but if Anya Frost had any idea about any where his friends were?

"L...V...P...D!" Brass practically screamed. The door opened a crack, and as Brass heaved himself up to his most intimidating pose, a tiny hand crept round the door.

"What do you want?" A little girl whimpered, a big blue eye peeking out of the side of the door.

Brass knelt down slightly, keeping a hand near his gun just in case.

"Hello. What's your name?"

"What do you want?" the girl whimpered again, drawing away.

"I'm with the police. I want to speak to Anya Frost. Is she your mom?"

The little girl shook her head. "My auntie. She said not to let anyone in. She's not home. Please go away."

"You're home alone?" Brass felt anger rising. The child couldn't have been more than seven years old. She nodded timidly. "Where's your mommy? Or your daddy?"

The little girl sniffled. "My daddy is in Hawaii. He was gonna come back two days ago but his boss said no. My mommy is at home, asleep. I don't know why, but auntie Anya said I had to come to her house. I didn't want to but she said it was important."

The girl withdrew as if she had said too much, but Brass put a hand on the door.

"How old are you?" he asked gently.

"Six." she replied, almost in tears. "Please, go away. Please...I'm scared."

"Okay, sweetie. How about I take you down to the police station and we'll see if we can get your mommy to come pick you up?"

The girl shook her head. "You're a stranger."

Brass passed the little girl his badge. "See this badge? This lets you know that I'm the with the police."

The little girl opened the door another inch wider to look take the badge, and Brass could see a chain holding the door shut. What looked like déjà vu shone in her eyes. She frowned at the badge carefully, thinking deeply. After a minute, she spoke.

"Like Greg's?"

"Who's?" Brass frowned.

The little girl passed Brass his badge back and gripped the door tightly.

"Greg. He drove me home after the bad men came to my school. He's friends with my friend Lindsey's mom."

Brass suddenly recognised the girl. "Lindsey Willows?"

When she nodded, he smiled gently. "Are you Jenny Harley?"

The little girl nodded. "Greg was nice. D'you know him?"

"I do. He's a good friend of mine."

"You're Greg's friend?" she asked sceptically.

"Yes. And you know, Greg's in trouble. He's missing at the moment and I can't find him anywhere. Have you seen him since he dropped you off?"

"Nu uh." she shook her head. "But I saw the brown haired man he was with. The one who spoke funny."

Brass had to laugh. He held up a picture of Nick. "Is this the one you saw? The one who spoke funny?"

She nodded and stuck her thumb in his mouth. "He had a funny voice when he spoke at the school. An accent. That's what my mommy would call it."

"That's because he's from Texas. When did you see him?"

"A few day's ago. I'm not sure how many days. It was the day after Auntie Anya picked me up."

"Okay." Brass calculated. "Where was he?"

"He was asleep in the boot of Auntie Anya's car. She said he was hiding from the bad guys, and I had to be quiet, so I didn't wake him up. Then a little boy I didn't know came up. Auntie Anya asked me to get him a milkshake. When I came back, the boot was shut. I asked if he would be scared of the dark, but Auntie Anya laughed and said he liked small dark places. So I gave the boy the milkshake and they left."

"Okay, you're a very good girl, Jenny. Do you like your Auntie Anya?"

The little girl's lip quivered and she shook her head. "No. She's mean. But she's daddy's little sister, so I have to be good. She scares me."

"Okay. It's okay. I'm looking for Greg at the moment, and Nick as well - the one who speaks funny - how about you help me, and then I'll find your mommy, too? That way you won't ever have to stay at Auntie Anya's again? Deal?"

She grinned, and slid through the gap. "Deal."

Brass could barely contain his disgust: the girl looked like she hadn't eaten in days. She was stick thin, and was able to slide through the gap that was barely a foot wide with ease.

She slid her hand cautiously into Brass'. He looked at her in surprise, an grinned encouragingly.

She smiled back as he led her into his car. Brass quickly called dispatch, but the operator informed him that the girl had been reported missing by her mother days ago. He quickly dialed the number the operator gave him.

"Hello, Mrs. Harley? I'm Detective Jim Brass, LVPD. Do you have a sister called Anya?"

"Oh...um no, well yes...Sister in law, actually. Anya Frost. Is this something to do with Jenny? Has that bitch hurt my baby?"

"I can't talk to you about that on the phone. But I believe I have your daughter right here. I'm gonna need you to come down to the station to answer a few questions, and to take her home."

"Oh, god, thank you! Can I talk to her?"

Brass handed the girl the phone, and she clutched it like a lifeline. "Mommy?"

Brass could here the mother's voice - a bonus of having your phone on loud.

"Jenny? Jenny is that you?"

"Mommy!"

"Jenny? Where were you, baby? Are you okay?"

"Mommy! I was at Auntie Anya's house. She took me there."

"What? Okay, baby I'm going to go to the police station, I'll see you soon!"

"Okay, mommy."

Brass took the phone

"Ms. Harley? I know you're in a wheelchair, do you need any assistance?"

"Uh, no thank you! My neighbour is with me now, she's agreed to drive me. Thank you."

"Just go to the police station and ask for captain Brass. We made need to take your daughter to the hospital, but she seems fine. Just a check up."

"Okay, okay. I'll be there as soon as possible."

As the mother hung up, Brass put the car into gear. The girl stretched forward and reached between the two front seats. She put a hand on Brass' hand.

"You found my mommy. Let's go find your friends."

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Nick stretched out. He eased open his eyes and saw Greg asleep on his chest. Sara's hand was laced in his, and when he looked over, he saw Warrick lying on Sara's arm, and he could see Catherine's arm poking out from under Warrick's shoulder. They all were lying very still with closed eyes, but before he could panic, he saw the rise and fall of each of their chests. He could even feel Greg's breath tickling his chin. It reminded him of when he was eight, his older brother Ethan had taken him to a major baseball game.

On the way home, Ethan's tire had burst. It was only two years after the accident that left Mary-Jane in the wheelchair, and being eight, Nick was terrified, despite the fact that Ethan had gained control over the vehicle and stopped it within seconds. Ethan had called for roadside assistance, and while waiting for the mechanics, Nick had started panicking. Ethan had picked him up out of the car like he used to when he was really little and sat down on the side of the road, holding Nick until the exhausted child had fallen asleep. Nick remembered how scared he had been, how much better Ethan had made him feel.

He was glad that he could follow his older brother and make Greg feel as safe. Well, probably not quite as safe.

The door creaked open and Nick tensed. One arm grasped Greg's arm tightly, and the other hand squeezed Catherine's fingers. The two began to awaken, which was Nick's intention. They opened their eyes without talking as did Sara and Warrick - they had all heard the door. None of them moved. Greg's big eyes looked up at Nick desperately.

Nick could see tiny balls of sweat on Greg's forehead and cursed silently. The fever was getting worse. As his eyes met Nick's, Greg felt like screaming. It wasn't fair. They were going to hurt them again. Again! Why couldn't they just go away?

Nick half smiled at Greg, trying to comfort him. Greg just closed his eyes and shook his head slightly, burying his face in Nick's chest.

Nick got a lump in his throat, but didn't do anything other than subtly gripping Greg's arm slightly harder. He could feel a his hoody growing slightly damp with the younger man's pooling tears.

"You hang in there, Greggo, you hear me?" he murmured in his friends ear, keeping an eye on the people filing through the door. "Remember what Catherine said? Don't let them break you man. You're okay."

Greg nodded into Nick's now warm chest.

"Thatta boy."

Catherine twisted her head to face Nick, and winked slightly. The corners of her mouth twitched up. "Well done." she mouthed. Nick winked back. "No problem." he mouthed.

Warrick's arm shifted from its place by his side to squeeze Sara's hand. She looked at him gratefully.

"Okay..." Victoria announced. "Let's see...you, blondie! Get up."

Warrick put an arm on Catherine's and subtly shook his head.

Heracles walked forwards with a massive hunting rifle and pushed Greg off Nick, pushing the gun into Greg's torso, in the soft fleshy area under his ribs.

"Bitch, she said get up."

Greg closed his eyes dismally as Catherine began to rise.

"Okay! Okay- I'm up, I'm up!"

Heracles jabbed the gun into Greg before taking it away. The four CSIs still on the floor sat up as Yelira strode up behind Catherine and roughly pulled her hands behind her back. Then she kicked out the blonde woman's knees so she fell face first to the floor. The others winced, and gripped each others' hands even tighter.

The two largest men proceeded to rip off the jumpsuit and hog tie Catherine, her hands and feet tied together behind her back, with the same rope looped as a noose around her neck. Catherine gasped, and drew her feet back towards her head, loosening the noose and allowing herself to breath. Heracles looped an arm under her bound arms and Jack grabbed her legs, and they lowered her into a small paddling pool. Catherine cried out as she smashed into the freezing water.

"What are you doing?" Warrick cried, his voice breaking slightly.

"Seeing how long she can last." Jack rolled his eyes. "Of course."

"You see," Jack started, acting as if they were three years old. "When she relaxes her legs, it tightens the noose. The water is just a little extra incentive to stay up. However if she dies, technically she's committed suicide."

"You asshole!" Greg cried bravely as Catherine struggled to keep her legs up and her head back.

"What did you say?" Yelira's eyes narrowed as she prowled forwards towards Greg. The young man stammered wordlessly, and began shaking slightly, but it didn't stop him from saying- "you're all assholes! Why can't you just leave us alone?"

The whole room went silent.

"Did he just..." Heracles whispered.

Catherine was the one to break the silence.

"He's right!" She cried, "Just leave us alone!"

"We haven't done anything to deserve this!" Nick added.

"You haven't even told us what you want." Warrick spat.

Sara took her turn to chip in. "You've already tortured us. What else do you want?"

"Enough." Acolmiztli ordered calmly. "I'm afraid, Greg however brave that was, I will have to punish you for that little outburst. Look at what you have caused."

"What is wrong with you people?" Greg cried, too afraid to be afraid.

The silence covered them again, and Nick suddenly became very aware of how much attention Greg was drawing to himself.

"Greggo, you can stop now." He muttered, but Greg just shook his head.

"No, Nick. I'm sorry, I really, truly am. But I can't take this anymore. So if you're not going to let us go, please just leave us alone or kill me. Just kill me."

"Greg," Nick choked. "What are you-"

"No! Greg!" Sara cried softly.

Catherine looked Greg dead in the eyes and shook her head.

Warrick felt an ominous ice chill his veins "Greg, man. You don't need to-"

"Stop, please." Greg begged. He knew what he was doing, even if they didn't. "Just kill me."

Acolmiztli nodded at Heracles who took the wickedest looking knife Greg had ever seen and sliced through the ropes hog tying Catherine. She flopped into the water before shooting up, shouting _"NO!"_

Greg pushed Nick away as the Texan tried to step in between Greg and the advancing Heracles and his knife.

"Just kill me." Greg said, looking dead into the man's eyes.

Nick cried out and grabbed Greg's arm as the large man ripped Greg up by his hair.

"No!" Sara screamed, her heart breaking as her 'little brother' begged for death. "Greg, please!"

Keeping his fingers entwined in Greg's hair, Heracles removed Sara's old tank top and pressed the knife to the already present wound. Greg prayed his plan would work as he whispered in an unfaltering voice. "Just kill me."

Heracles grinned. "That can be arranged."

**What is Greggo planning? I would love to know what you think ;-)**


	27. Chapter 26

**Thank you to Marymel, W.S.C Magica de Spell, Firefox01, Lamborga, and you two guests for reviewing! This is quite a short chapter, but I wanted to end it here. I am alternating days working on my two stories, but if one gets significantly more reviews for a chapter it will take priority. Anyway**

**Read. Enjoy. Review.**

**Chapter Twenty Six**

Grissom picked up his phone, and Judge Stokes looked up.

"Grissom."

_"You were right." _

"Jim?"

_"Anya Frost is involved. Remember that girl Greg dropped home?"_

"Jenny Harley? Small, blonde hair blue eyes...?"

_"Yep. She was the only one home when I arrived at Anya Frost's house. Says Miss Frost is her Aunt. Told her to stay home, not let anyone in. She remembers seeing Nick in the trunk of her Aunt's car."_

"What?" Grissom cried.

_"I'm bringing her in now, but she's nothing like that Cayden kid, not that I can tell. Her mother reported her missing a couple of days ago. About four hours before Nick was taken." _

"Why did she take her?" Grissom asked baffled. Judge Stokes ran a hand over his jaw.

_"No idea. Rendezvous at the lab?" _

"PD. I want to talk to her."

_"I don't think you should leave the la-" _

"I'll see you in five minutes, Brass." Grissom snapped his phone shut.

"Do you have a suspect?" Nick's father asked.

"Well, kind of. We have a six year old girl at the home of a person of interest that remembers seeing Nick."

"Where?" the Judged urged.

"In the boot of the car. If you excuse me, I'm need to go-"

"To the station. I heard. I'll take Lillian back to the hotel. Make that phone call to Robert; see about who could have got their hands on the photograph. Should I call you...?"

Grissom handed the man his card. "Thanks."

His paranoia sped his travel and Grissom was at the station in record time. He flew into Brass' office and a small girl flinched for a second. She was sitting on the couch, her knees tucked up to her chin. Recognition flooded her eyes.

"You're Greg's friend, too, right?" she whispered.

"Yes." Grissom turned to Brass, who walked up close so that the girl didn't hear what they were saying. "Doctor looked her over, she was hungry but unharmed. Also, no signs of psychopathic behaviour."

Grissom sat down next to the little girl.

She frowned. "You look sad."

Grissom sighed and looked at her. "I am sad."

"Because your friends are gone? That's why Mr. Brass is sad. But he found my mommy, so he'll find your friends too." her voice had an almost sing song quality to it, but unlike the scary chanting Cayden did, it was more innocent, more natural.

"You said you saw Nick in the back of a car?"

She nodded. "It was a blue car. But I think it was silver before coz that's what it was last time. It was defiantly Auntie Anya's car, coz she has the sticker in the back window."

"What type of sticker?"

"A domino. Three spots on one side, two on the other."

"Okay, good, good."

"I know the numbers on the back. Mommy made me learn it in a song."

"Why?"

"Because her aunt is a bad woman and I wanted her to tell me whenever that bitch came near my house." A trembling voice said from the door.

"Mommy!" Jenny cried, hurtling into her mother's lap.

"Jenny. The licence plate is G307 YLR1A. It's personalized."

"Thank you, Brass-"

"I'm already updating the APB." he nodded as he picked up the phone.

"Thank you, Mrs. Harley."

"I'll stay nearby." She smiled wryly. "I know your people are missing, I watch the news. And I know you are looking into my husband's family. He and his brother were the normal ones. Anya and her twin...thick as thieves, except thieves is too gentle a word. They are psychopaths, the pair of them. And I mean clinically diagnosed, and proud of it. Yet they act all meek...Thanks to her, I know how you must be feeling right now, with your friends missing. I know you will want to talk to me later, but I want to take her home. Thanks for finding Jenny. I'll try to help you if I can."

Grissom was stumped. "Thank you."

As the females left, Grissom looked at Brass. "Now we wait." he sighed.

Brass looked back at Grissom. "If it makes you feel any better, Sophie is gonna be okay. She woke up, asked about the pair of you. She'll survive."

"You can't be a detective without full use of both arms." Grissom said sadly. He knew exactly how Sofia Curtis would feel when she realised that there was a possibilty that she would never work again if the wounds in her shoulders didn't heal. He had felt it when he was told he could go completely deaf.

Jim sighed. "I know, I know. I'm trying to look at the positives here, Gil. And I'm telling you, there aren't very many."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"We will find them, Gil."

"We can't know that." Grissom sighed.

"Gil, you're giving up hope on your guys. They're all fighters. But they need you to back their corner. Gil Grissom - you need to pull yourself together."

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Acolmiztli grinded his teeth together. They talked to the girl. What the hell had Yelira done? How could she cock up so badly? He had no idea what the girl has seen, but he knew that she would have told them whatever they needed to know.

He watched Heracles' knife come rest of Greg Sanders' neck. He imagined the glorious bloom of blood, the arterial spray splashing across the room as Greg fell, lifeless to the floor. It was a lovely image. Complete with glassy eyes and practically decapitated, Acolmiztli thought that the Greg in his mind looked as good as he could ever be.

Nick Stokes was shouting wordlessly, Sara Sidle was sobbing. Catherine Willows and Warrick Brown just looked paralysed.

Heracles had a look on his face like a sculptor taking a knife to one of his creations. The tip of the knife pierced the skin a centimetre above and a little blood began dripping down his neck, and Nick regained his power of speech.

"NO! Greg! Stop, don't hurt him, please! Greg, tell them to stop!"

The knife inched a little further into his skin and more blood dribbled down his neck, at the same speed as the single tear slipping down his cheek. As the knife came horizontal to Greg's neck and drew across his throat, Greg became afraid that his plan would fail. Then, finally he made his move.

He cried out in pain and jerked around in Heracles arms, his own arms flying in all directions. Heracles shook arm holding Greg's hair and the knife cut in more, releasing even more blood.

"Greg!" Sara screamed between tears. "Greg! Don't, don't hurt him! Stop it, don't kill him please don't kill him!"

Greg whimpered, and he prayed to god that the last part of his plan didn't fail.

"You still wanna die, punk?" Heracles hissed. Greg steeled himself and nodded strongly, his heart breaking as Sara cried out. "Greg, no! Don't leave us! You don't wanna die, Greg, you don't!"

The knife tore across his neck in one swift movement, and Greg couldn't help but scream at the pain. It was the second time his neck had been ripped open and it hurt like hell.

The pain seemed to paralyse his limbs and his knees buckle.

"You ain't dying today punk, you ain't that lucky." Greg moaned, and to his relief Heracles misinterpreted it as he hoped. "Aw, disappointed, kid? Well, Jack wants to have his go with you. He hasn't had much fun with you yet." Greg shuddered, and Heracles shoved him to the floor as his hands flew up to his neck, pressing on the bleeding. He cringed as Heracles's foot flew towards his back, but the foot never met its target.

Warrick had snapped into action as soon as Greg fell, and he grabbed Greg's ankle, dragging the young man across the floor away from his attacker.

"Oi!" Heracles growled, but Warrick just pushed Greg down behind him, using his body to shield the young man.

As Heracles stepped forward, Nick began to move. He slid over to Greg, putting an arm on Greg's chest, leaning over him protectively. Sara slipped next to Warrick, positioning herself in front of Greg. Catherine pushed herself up and slipped around Heracles to complete the three man wall.

"Get out of the way." Heracles growled.

"Don't you touch him!" Catherine spat.

Greg tensed. This was something he hadn't factored into his plan. He expected that is the plan failed and he did die, that the others would be able to get over it. But if hey tried to protect him and got killed in the process, then the plan would not have been worth it. "Cath." he whispered. She turned around and pointed her finger at him as if he was a naughty child.

"You! Be quiet!" she whipped back around to face the oncoming threat.

"Stop, Heracles." Acolmiztli said dryly. "Jack, you may punish the little talker later. Mr. Sanders, you interrupted us. I don't think you really wanted to die. Tell me, what was your plan?"

Greg swallowed. Time to remember what Warrick taught him and put on his poker face. "I-I-I-I...I wanted...I want...if I died it would stop. And maybe satisfy you enough to leave the others alone."

"You thought we would stop if you died?" Acolmiztli raised his eyebrows cynically.

"No...not really...I just wanna...I wanted it to stop..." he said weakly. "I thought...maybe...if you killed me, you'd gloat, maybe, send Grissom my body, or part of it. And I thought that then, maybe Grissom could track the others down. Save them."

"That's a lot of ifs." Acolmiztli frowned.

"It would have been worth it if they got away." Greg said quietly. As the room went silent, Greg made the mistake of looking at Nick, the only one who's face he could see. The Texan's eyes swam with pain, anger, and guilt. Tears pooled in his eyes as he stared at Greg, looking as if Greg had just told him he had killed his mother. The sadness in his friend's eyes smothered Greg.

Acolmiztli signaled to his people who left the room. Acolmiztli looked down at the CSIs.

"You are a good boy, Mr. Sanders. A good boy. Maybe you do not deserve this." Acolmiztli leaned down. "But you know what? You're staying anyway."

He too left the room, and Sara, Warrick and Catherine turned around.

"Greg," Sara whispered. "What did you...why...?"

Catherine grabbed Greg's shoulders and shook him. "Don't ever do that again!"

"Cath-"

"Don't you 'Cath' me!" she half sobbed, still shaking him like a violent mother.

"Catherine!"

"Why...how could you..."

"Catherine!" Greg put a hand on her arm. "Stop, please!"

She inhaled sharply when she realized that she was causing even more blood to bubble out through the new wound on Greg's neck.

"Oh, Greggo, why?" She murmured.

"You honestly think it would be better for us if you died? If they sent Grissom part of your _body?_" Nick asked, his expression just as distraught as before.

"In what twisted world would we be better off without you?" Sara asked tearfully.

He stared at the floor and took a deep breath. "I wasn't trying to die."

"Then what the hell were you doin?" Nick asked, his voice cracking on the last word.

"I...well..." Greg took a deep breath. "I saw something..something Heracles had. And I thought that if I could get close enough and distract him...It was the only thing I could think of. Plus, I guessed that if they thought I wanted to die, they wouldn't kill me."

"That was too big a chance to take, G." Nick said, starting to calm a little, pain still gleaming in his eyes. "What if they had killed you?"

Greg shrugged. "I meant what I said about sending my body to Grissom."

Sara pushed forward and dragged Greg up into her arms. "Don't do that again, okay Greg? It's not worth the risk. It's not worth the risk. What could be worth the risk?"

Greg held up a small key. "This."


	28. Chapter 27

**Hiya! Thanks so so much to Marymel, Firefox01 Shadowchaser56, china36, Lamborga, W.S.C. Magica de Spell and C.H.W.13 for your awesome reviews! I am quite proud of this chapter, but should I be?**

**Please, read, enjoy and review!**

**Chapter Twenty Seven**

Nick's mouth popped open in surprise.

"Is that a...a key?"

Greg nodded.

"Oh my god." Sara breathed, putting a hand on Greg's shoulder. "You risked your life for this?" Greg nodded again, and Sara kissed him on the cheek. "You never cease to amaze me, Greg."

Greg smiled happily. "So am I forgiven?"

"No." Catherine said sternly, before smiling. "There's nothing to forgive, Greg. We owe you."

Greg smiled bashfully.

"So what does it open?" Warrick asked.

"That I don't know." Greg admitted. "It could be anything. But something is better than nothing, right?"

"Definitely." Nick nodded. "So, should we check if it opens the door?"

"What if they have a guard?" Warrick frowned.

"We have to get out of here." Nick said edgily. "Sooner rather than later. They are going to kill us."

Sara eased up and tiptoed over to the large heavy door. She slipped down and lay on the floor, peering underneath the door.

"Greg!" she hissed. "Eyes off ass."

"I wasn't looking!" he insisted. "I swear."

She turned around and winked at him, smiling. "I know. Just kidding." She slid back. "The light under the door is unblocked. I can't see anyone there."

"So, do we risk it?" Catherine asked her eyes passed over her friends. Sara had not stopped shaking since the rape, her stomach was still cut up from the lashes, and a trail of blood ran down her leg. The proud woman had tried to rub it off, but with no water or soap, it hadn't helped.

Warrick's jaw was black and swollen, and every move he made was painful. The hole in his shoulder wasn't getting any better, and his whole body was bruised and bloody from being beaten, and he was still shivering from the cold.

Nick's wounds had not seen to be infected, but they were causing him a lot of pain. He was more affected than Warrick by the cold, starvation and coffins.

Greg was scaring Catherine the most. His stomach was a mess. No other words to describe it. A bloody, burned mess. The fever seemed to have died a little but it was still present. He was more traumatized than any of the others, starving hungry, exhausted. And despite the fact that he had got the key, he wasn't necessarily thinking straight.

After looking at the members of her team, her family, she answered her own question. "I think we have to."

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

"Grissom!" Brass ran into his own office. "We got a hit off the APB. It's outside an old mansion house in the desert."

Grissom leapt up. "Let's go."

"Gil-"

"I'm coming Jim."

"I know."

In under a minute, the two men were speeding through Vegas. They managed to overtake the backup vehicles, and were first to arrive at the house. It looked out of place, a large Victorian style mansion in the middle of the desert, but it was hidden away in a rocky canyon. A red Toyota was parked outside, next to an empty patrol car.

"That doesn't look good." Brass muttered. "Not good at all."

He drew his gun and Grissom copied. As they drew closer, Grissom spotted the body of a young patrol cop, a single bullet through his head.

"Aw, man." Brass breathed. Grissom raced up to the door. He reached for his radio. "Perfect. Radio's down. Gil!" Brass shouted, but Grissom wheeled around.

"If my people are in there, they could be dying, I won't wait for backup when I we might already be too late."

Brass swore as Grissom pushed the door. It swung open easily, and Grissom disappeared into a large entrance hall. Suits of armour were stacked along the corridor; the walls were decorated with swords and axes.

He made his way into the hall and stared at the enormous staircase. As Brass came up behind him, gun and torch in hand.

"We're going against the books here Gil. No warrant."

"There was blood in the car and on the door. Possibility of someone injured inside."

"Okay, if you say so."

Grissom headed upstairs, and began racing through the corridors, clearing endless rooms, trying to resist the urge to cry out to his CSIs.

He flew open yet another door and stepped into the room. He cried out in shock as the floor disappeared underneath his feet and he tumbled down, hitting the floor the next level down with a large bang. He groaned and looked up, but the ceiling above him was intact. He could vaguely hear Jim calling to him.

He looked around, and was horrified at the objects on a table in the middle of the room. An electric generator. A bloody cat o'nine tails. A cigarette lighter. Several large bloody knives. A dozen small bloody knives attached to a long chain. Grissom knew exactly who the blood belonged to.

He reached for the door and yanked it open, desperate to leave the horrors behind. He found himself in a completely different looking corridor. It was almost like a hospital, but with heavy, metal doors and blood splatter all over the walls. His gut dragged him to the second last door. He could hear voices murmuring. A loud clunk, then a small, triumphant 'yes' resounded in his ears.

He raised his gun as the door eased open.

"Grissom!" A voice cried.

A whole barrage of emotions that Grissom didn't understand flooded his body as he saw the flinching young man holding his hands up at the door. Relief, fear, hope. Mainly relief.

"Greg!"

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Lindsey Willows opened her eyes. "Mo-mmy." she croaked. A pretty African-American woman looked at her.

"Hi, Lindsey. Do you remember me?"

Lindsey shook her head. "No. Where's my mommy? Where am I"

"Okay, sweetie. I'm Tina Brown. I'm a nurse, you're very sick and you're at the hospital."

Lindsey blinked. "Isn't that Warrick's wife's name?"

Tina smiled in slight confusion. In the other times Lindsey had woken up, she had only mumbled about her mother. Suddenly she realised why she had asked; Lindsey was getting a lot better.

"I am Warrick's wife. How did you know?"

"Warrick told me. He picked me up from school the other day. Mommy was pulling another double."

Tina smiled again. "Oh, okay."

"Where's my mommy?" Lindsey repeated more urgently. "Why isn't she here?"

Tina's smile faded. "I'm so sorry, baby. Your mom...your mom was kidnapped."

"Kidnapped." she cried softly. Tears filled her eyes. "Who? Why? Have they hurt her?"

"I don't know, sweetie." Tina's own eyes filled with tears.

"Is Greg okay? The last thing I remember...Greg was screaming."

"Sweetie, Greg's gone too."

"What about Warrick?" Lindsey whispered.

Tina felt the tears leak and she sat next to the bed, holding Lindsey's hand.

"He's gone." Tina's voice broke. "And Nick and Sara."

Lindsey started to cry, and her hand flew up to her throat. "Why does it hurt to cry?"

"Because you are sick, honey. It will get easier."

"Where's nana?" Lindsey whispered.

"She's in the hospital. She wants to see you, but she's not allowed just yet."

"Why?"

"In case she gets infected."

"Why aren't you getting infected?"

"Just luck." Tina smiled softly.

Lindsey stared at the ceiling. "I want my mommy. I want my daddy." she whimpered softly. She looked at Tina who was heartbroken by what the child said next.

"My daddy died a little while ago. Am I an orphan now?"

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

"Grissom!" Greg half laughed as Grissom put down his gun. "I have never been so happy to see you!"

"Grissom?" Nick asked hopefully, his hands on Greg's shoulders, ready to pull him out of harm's way if necessary.

Grissom couldn't breathe as he took in the sight of his team, beaten, bloody and _alive_ standing in front of him.

The team watched in shock as Grissom dragged Greg into his arms, reaching out to Nick with another arm. Within seconds, he had quickly embraced every member of his team.

"I gotta get you out of here." he said quickly. "Do any of you know the way out?"

Catherine frowned. "How'd you get here? You did bring back up?"

"I brought Jim. And I came through the ceiling; this house is full of trap doors and booby traps."

"Where is Brass now?" Catherine frowned, and Grissom's own frown deepened.

"I don't know. I lost him when I fell down a hole."

"God, these people are psychos. Is he armed?"

"He's Jim. Of course he is. But I'm still worried."

"Grissom, let's just get out of here." Nick urged.

"Please. Let's go." Sara added, practically begging.

Grissom nodded. "This way." he led them down the hall, quietly trying to find a way back into the main area of the house. His cell phone buzzed and he picked up.

"Jim?"

_"Gil? Are you alright? Where the hell are you?"_ Brass hissed down the phone.

"I'm fine, Jim, I found them. I'm just not entirely sure where we are. Somewhere in the house."

_"Are they all...alive?" _

"We're all moving."

_"Thank god."_ Jim breathed. _"Gil, I think you should know, we're not alone. There are multiple suspects in the house, at least four. I'm trying to dodge them but I don't think we have much time." _

"Thanks Jim. I'll call you when I can."

_"Yup. Hopefully I should see you soon."_

Grissom snapped his phone shut. "He's okay, for now."

At the end of the corridor, the six CSIs turned left. There was another stretch of a corridor, and Greg froze.

"Stop!" he whispered. "Listen!"

A peal of sickening laughter sounded down the end of the corridor.

Exchanging horrified glances, the six stumbled backwards, but Nick stopped them.

"I hear footsteps that way!" he hissed. Grissom swung around, and spotted a small closet door. "In here!" he whispered, pushing Greg and Sara in first, followed by Nick, Warrick and Catherine. They backed up and he finally squeezed in himself, closing the door quickly and quietly. Not daring to breathe, Greg leaned further back into the pitch black closet, feeling like he was living the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. Suddenly that simile became a little more relevant as he slipped back and fell into space, stifling his yelp and grabbing desperately at Sara.

She inhaled sharply and grabbed his arm, holding onto Nick to stop herself falling. She pulled Greg up and back into the closet, and he squeezed her hand gratefully.

She squeezed back as the voices floated past.

A minute or two passed, and suddenly they heard the unmistakable roar of an angry Heracles.

"_That f***king bastard stole my key! That bastard! I am telling you _'Victoria', _I am going to find that kid, I am going to beat him effing senseless, burn him until the blood flows, give him to Jack for an hour then I am going to strangle him with my bare hands!" _The man swore.

Greg's body started to quiver, and Sara held his hand tightly.

"_Don't worry. They won't get out of the house. Yelira has eyes on the detective. He'll be dead in soon." _Victoria's tone was tight and angry. Grissom's hand linked with Catherine, who leaned into Warrick. Warrick squeezed Nick's shoulder, and Nick's arm was around Sara. Once again they were all interlinked. _"Besides, your plan sounds like a good one. I'm sure Acolmiztli will approve." _

"_Damn right he will." _Heracles growled. _"That stupid little punk!" _

_"Don't worry yourself, babe. I'm positive you'll get permission to kill the little punk. In fact, I give you my licence to kill."_

Greg couldn't help but let the tiniest of whimpers escape his lips.

Sara leaned over and in a breathed so that only Greg could hear. "We won't let him hurt you."

He leaned into her shoulder and she could feel him nod.

Grissom felt horrified. These people were acting as if permission to kill Greg was something that could be given out like a gift. Greg. Killing _Greg_. A fatherly instinct that Grissom had rarely felt before swelled inside of him, and he looked back into the dark to try and see Greg. Only a few slithers of light seeped into the closet, but it was enough to illuminate Greg's pale, terrified face peeking over Sara's shoulder, his hands grasping Sara's to avoid falling back and to take a little reassurance. Grissom tried to smile comfortingly at Greg, but he could tell it wasn't helping. He had no idea how awful his team felt and he knew it.

The angry voices died away.

"Greg." Grissom whispered. "What's down the hole?"

Greg looked down and shrugged. "I can't see." he breathed, hardly daring to speak any louder.

"Okay. Shine this down carefully. Not straight down." Grissom passed Greg his torch. Greg switched it on, the beam of light shaking as he shone it down.

"A chute. I'm not sure how far down it goes." he hissed.

"If you went down to look, could you come back up?" Greg glanced at his burns. It hurt to just stand up straight.

"I don't think so." Greg muttered sadly. "My stomach."

"I can." Sara whispered, pushing gently past Greg.

"Don't go." he whispered, frightened.

"I'll be okay." She murmured.

"Be careful." Grissom warned, and she smiled slightly.

"I will." She disappeared into the chute.

Greg felt Nick's hand on his shoulder and gratefully squeezed the older man's hand. After a long couple of minutes, Sara reappeared.

"It's an empty room, but I think we could get out from there!"

"Are you sure?" Grissom murmured, and she nodded.

"I'm going back down, Greg, can I have the torch?" Greg handed Sara the torch obediently.

Once again she disappeared down the chute. When she reached the bottom she tapped twice.

"Okay, Greg." Grissom nodded. "You can go."

Greg looked down the hole. Bracing his back and legs against the walls he shuffled down into the darkness. The next two taps signalled Nick's turn. He took a deep breath and lowered himself into the hole, trying not to descend into panic at the tight space. Warrick was next to ease himself down, trying to avoid putting his injured shoulder against the wall. Catherine was the last to leave, and finally Grissom slipped down the hole. When he arrived at the bottom, he was relieved to find everyone still there.

"Okay, we have to get out of here, fast."

Sara shone the torch around. "Is this a kitchen?"

"Well we are in an old Victorian style manor." Grissom reasoned

"Really? I thought it was a warehouse." Greg frowned.

"Not from the front anyway." Grissom frowned

"Is that food?" Greg whispered, looking wistfully at the counter. "Crisps, chocolate..."

"Hang in there Greg. We'll be out soon; I'll get you food then. Whatever you want. Pizza, steak, doughnuts." Grissom offered. "But this stuff might be poisoned. Like I said, booby traps."

Greg nodded. "Okay, okay."

They looked around the kitchen and tip toed towards the door. A seemingly endless corridor loomed, with what looked like hundreds of other doors and corridors. They began sneaking down the hall, but suddenly Jack appeared at the end of the corridor. His eyes locked on Greg and he grinned wickedly.

"Hey, Heracles! I've found your boy!"

Victoria appeared at the end of one corridor, her sister opposite her. Itzli threw his knife up and down casually. Heracles appeared behind them.

Unconsciously, the CSIs closed in around Greg.

"We're surrounded." Nick muttered, sounding fearful. "Damn."

"Greg, I want you to do exactly what I tell you to, okay?" Grissom whispered. "That goes for the rest of you. Understand?" The five of them nodded.

"Oi, punk!" Heracles shouted. "Get your scrawny little ass here right now before I get Itzli to blow your boss' brains out."

Greg inhaled sharply, and started to step forward. Grissom put a hand on Greg's shoulder.

"Do not move."

"Grissom what if they-"

"Don't move."

"Kid." Heracles growled.

"Nick. If all else fails, stay with Greg. Warrick, Catherine don't get separated. Sara, stay with me. Wait for my signal."

Itzli lazily raised his gun. "Greggy boy, I would just go to Heracles. In five seconds, Grissom's blood will be all over your hands."

Greg closed his eyes.

"Remember what I said, Greg? Do exactly as I say?"

Greg nodded, and Grissom took a deep breath.

"Let them go. You can do whatever the hell you want with me, just let them go."

"What do you think we'll just let them go? After what Greg did to Heracles? There is no way that that punk is going anywhere!"

"Fine. Keep Greg. Let the rest go." Grissom shrugged.

Everyone stared at Grissom, and Itzli put his hands on his hips.

"Now that, I didn't expe-"

"GREG, RUN!" Grissom roared, pushing the youngest member of his team towards the nearest corridor while Itzli's guard was down. He turned and shot at Itzli, herding the rest of his team down the corridor. Armed to the teeth with god knew what, the captors began the chase.

The CSIs sprinted through the corridors, wildly looking back over their shoulders.

"Nick!" Grissom shouted. "They'll be after Greg first!"

"Gotcha!" Nick called. Suddenly, a shot rang out, and Catherine yelped, falling to the floor.

"CATH!" Warrick roared, dragging her to her feet. She clutched at her side, her legs still speeding, Warrick supporting most of her weight.

Another shot smashed into the wall right next to Warrick's head, and he had no choice but to drag Catherine down an adjoining corridor. The others regretfully kept running.

Nick hollered and stumbled as another bang resounded through the corridor. When he turned, Greg could see the deep gash in his cheek where the bullet had grazed him.

"Sanders!" Heracles roared. Nick turned in time to see the large man aim a machine gun at Greg's legs. He pushed Greg into the nearest corridor as an explosion of bullets shot up the floor where Greg's feet were just a few seconds before.

Sara tried to follow, but the array of bullets made it impossible. Grissom grabbed her hand and dragged her into a corridor on the right.

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Acolmiztli watched the whole thing over the CCTV camera. He could practically hear the six hearts beating so fast.

He watched as they ran. He knew that adrenalin would have taken over by now. All they could do was run.

"Run, run, run!" Acolmiztli sang.

As his people split up following each pair, he laughed out loud.

"Well Dr. Grissom. The tryouts are now complete. The game is on."


	29. Chapter 28

**Hi! Thanks to china36, Marymel, Firefox01, and W.S.C Magica de Spell for reviewing. This super quick update is especially for _C.H.W.13, _thanks for reviewing and HAPPY BIRTHDAY! This chapter is dedicated to you, so I hope that you like it. **

**Again, I am relatively happy with this chapter. What do you think?**

**Warning: There are mentions of child abuse and violence towards children in this chapter. Sorry :-( I didn't enjoy writing it, but it is kinds necessary for the plot. **

**Also, I don't usually start with a song, I know (although I love the idea) but I was listening to it whilst writing and the lyrics fit perfectly with the tone of the chapter, so I put it in at the beginning. **

**So, Read. Enjoy... REVIEW! **

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

"_**There's no time, there's no time for this. **_

_**Take your love and start again. **_

_**So run for your life. Run for your life. **_

_**If you leave me behind, **_

_**You'll get there in time.**_

_**Run for your life – run don't look back again, run don't look back again,**_

_**Run for your life – one day you'll understand, one day you'll understand**_

_**If you leave me behind, **_

_**You'll get there in time**_

_**Run for your life**_

_**Run for your life**_

_**If you leave me behind, you'll get there in time." Matt Cardle, Run for Your Life**_

Greg stumbled blindly down the corridor, running, just running. Nick was right behind him as they twisted and turned through the labyrinth of doors, rooms and halls. They burst through a pair of doors, to find themselves in a large master bedroom, with no other way out.

"Go back!" Nick turned to push open the doors but they didn't budge.

"Nick, Nick the doors won't open!" Greg's voice was about an octave higher than usual. "Nick, what do we do?"

"Okay, it's okay..."

"No! It's not okay! They...did you hear what he's going to do to me? And what about you? What would they-"

"Greg!" Nick put his hands on Greg's shoulders. "Calm down, buddy you gotta help me find the way outta here, okay!"

Greg choked but nodded, and they scrambled around the room, desperately looking for a way out. Suddenly, Nick dragged Greg onto to bed. "Gimme a hand!" They pushed open a trapdoor in the ceiling. Nick jumped up, grabbing the edges, lifting himself up to peek into the room. He sighed in relief. "Clear!" He dropped back into the room. "You first!"

Greg looked at Nick. "You sure?"

There was a loud banging on the door.

"It's you they want, get the hell up there!"

"Nick, I'm not strong enough." he pleaded.

"Sure you are." Nick laced his fingers together and held his hand down, trying to ignore the huge gash in one of his hands. "Step up. Now, Greg."

Greg reluctantly stepped on Nick's hand, putting his hands on the sides of the trapdoor. Nick hissed, but supported Greg as he struggled to pull himself up. Suddenly the door burst open, and Heracles grinned. Adrenalin surged through Nick's body as he shoved Greg up through the roof. Greg pulled himself up and scrambled out, leaning back in, holding his hand out for Nick, who jumped up. He dragged himself up, and was halfway through the ceiling when Heracles dragged him back down.

"NICK!" Greg screamed, leaning over the home.

"Greg! RUN!" Nick hollered. Greg lingered by the trapdoor.

"Come back, little Greggo. Come back, or I will stick Nicky like a pig." Heracles sang.

"Nick..." Greg cried as his friend grunted.

"Just run, Greg! Get the hell out of there! Run! RUN!" Greg hesitated. "GREG, GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" Nick screamed, and with a heavy heart Greg staggered away. A mind numbing scream stopped Greg in his tracks.

"NOOOO! GREG, RUN!" Nick screamed again, but it sounded like he was crying. Greg put a hand on the door, and then there was another scream. Greg made his decision and turned back around. He snuck to the of the hole and peered down. He gagged violently. Nick was lying in a pool of blood, Heracles on top of him, pushing a knife further and further into Nick's arm. Nick's face was contorted with so much pain that Greg couldn't take it.

"Stop!" he screamed. He started to slide back down, and Nick glared at him.

"NO! GREG! RUN, FOR GOD'S SAKE IT'S TOO LATE FOR ME, RUN!"

Heracles jumped off Nick with a last push, and Nick yelled as the knife ripped straight through his arm, pinning him to the floor. Mind numbing pain flooded his body and he started to convulse slightly, which scared him a lot.

As Heracles came towards him, Greg kicked his legs wildly, but Heracles just wrapped his arms around them and yanked him down.

Greg kicked and punched and scratched and bit with everything he had, but it wasn't enough. Heracles shoved him onto the bed.

"You think you can just take my keys, punk?" Heracles hissed, sitting on Greg's hips and punching him in the head. He leaned in close, and Greg gagged from his stinking breath. "I wanna save your face for Jack, pretty boy."

Terrified of the implications of that, Greg struggled. He glanced at Nick, who was staring at him in horror. _Why didn't you just leave?_ His eyes begged, and Greg turned his face away.

"No!" Heracles muttered. "You are going to look at him." He squeezed Greg's cheeks and twisted his head to force him to look at Nick, who's eyes were fluttering shut.

"Nick!" he spluttered.

Nick could feel the blood leaving his body, along with his energy and ability to fight. He guessed that he had servered an artery, and that only the knife in the wound was keeping it plugged. He was pinned to the floor and felt useless as Jack strutted into the room.

"Oh, you caught him."

Greg started struggling as Heracles laughed. "I forgot my lighter. It's your go."

Nick's mouth dropped open as Jack unbuckled his belt. This wasn't happening...

_He is nine years old. His parents are at dinner. Kelly, his regular babysitter is on holiday in Kansas, so Molly Mitchell, a girl from his sister Katie's class, a senior. She had brought her boyfriend, Tyler even though he and his parents told her she wasn't aloud. His brothers and sisters were all at various friend's houses. _

_"Let's play a game!" she had whispered in his ear. She had pulled him into his bed. Pulled of his trousers. _

_"I don't want to!" Nick had cried. _

_She had done things that he didn't understand to him, sitting on his hips and touching him in funny places. Then Molly's boyfriend had come in. Nick squirmed as Tyler chuckled at the sight of the young boy, naked on his bed, Molly holding his...his..._

That much he would tell Catherine years later. He wouldn't even imply what happened next.

_Now Tyler gently pushed Molly out of the way, kissing her tenderly. Then he rolls Nick over. He pulls off his trousers, and his underpants. Then Tyler starts_

"_Stop it! It hurts!" Nick cries, his nine year old voice young and innocent as he is violated. "It hurts!" _

"_I'm being gentle." Tyler says. "It's supposed to hurt. You're supposed to like it, you little fag!" _

_When it ends, Nick curls in a ball on his bed. He feels sick, sore and dirty. Very dirty. Tyler tells him that if he dares tell anyone, he will do that to his mother and sisters. It hurts so much. Nick cries and cries, and begs god to let his mama come home. _

Nick blinked, snapping out of the painful memory. Jack was pulling a gun and silencer out from his trousers.

"I would do it myself, but I can't afford to be exposed right now." He chuckled. Heracles shifted out of the way allowing Jack access to the bed. He rolled the fighting Greg over easily, sitting on his legs. The burns on Greg's stomach prevented him from stretching up as Jack stroked his bare thighs.

Suddenly, Nick was seeing red. This wasn't going to happen. Not to Greg. He had been helpless to help Sara and he was not going to lie down while another of his friends got raped.

Jack grabbed Greg's hair and wrenched his head across.

Tear filled eyes met Nick's as Greg mouthed, "I'm so sorry!"

Nick steeled himself, knowing that if he took the knife out of his arm, he could bleed to death. But when Jack's hands touched the top of Greg's boxers, Nick couldn't take anymore.

With an impassioned war cry, Nick pulled the blade from his shoulder, rolled up of the floor and charged towards Jack. The startled Englishman didn't have time to react as Nick sunk his knife into the man's chest, before ripping it out and pushing him off the bed.

Greg scrambled in shock beneath him, and as an enraged Heracles advanced, Nick dragged Greg off the bed and practically threw him out the door. He led the younger man through the corridor and pulled him into another small room. This room had two exits, and Nick bolted the door, giving them a few minutes. Gripping Greg's shoulders, his eyes bored into Greg's familiar ones.

"Listen. You have to run. If the knife nicked my artery, I'm dead, G. If not, I'll keep going until I bleed out. Take the knife. I'll hold him off, he's not as angry at me."

"He is now, you killed-"

"Greg." Nick's eyes filled with tears. "You gotta leave me, okay? You have to run, Greg. Run. You can't look back; you just gotta run and keep running until you get out. Keep running until you're safe. Don't look back G."

"Nick, I..." Greg's throat closed up.

"Leave me here." Nick's tears poured as Greg shook his head. "Leave me. You can get help for the others."

"I can't do that, I-"

The door shook, and Nick dragged Greg into his arms. "I love you, little brother."

"Love you too, big bro." Greg choked, hugging him fiercely. "I can't just let them kill you!"

"Greg, if you do love me, if I really am your brother, please go." Nick begged. Anything to get the only person he had ever seen as a baby brother out of that hell hole. "Get help."

Greg glanced over Nick's shoulder at the shaking door. "It will be too late, I-"

"Greg, I...I'm dying. I'm bleeding out, right now. Either way, it's too late. I can't save myself, so I am going to do my best to save you, and it will be the last thing I do. Please?"

The begging broke Greg. "Okay."

The Texan wrenched open the other door, revealing a long spiral staircase, going both up and down.

The door they had come in through shook on it's hinges. With one last hug, Nick pushed Greg into the stairwell, pressing the knife into his hands.

"Thank you for everything, Nicky. Bothering to speak to me while I was just a lab rat. Helping me in the field. Saving my life. You really are the best big brother in the world. I...I don't wanna say goodbye." Greg choked. "I'll miss you!"

"Love you too, little bro." Nick half sobbed, half chuckled back. The door splintered, and armed only with his fists, Nick said one last word to Greg before slamming the other door in his face. Greg heard the first door smash open, and could vaguely here Nick strongly telling Heracles to get lost. Greg threw a shoe down the stairs so it landed in sight, and feeling guilty as hell, he left his friend and ran up the stairs.

_Nick Stokes' final stand. _He thought. Obviously, it had to involve saving someone else. Him. Tears stung his eyes, poured down his cheeks and fell to the floor as the last word he would ever hear his friend say rang in his ears.

"_Run." _

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Warrick held Catherine up as they stumbled through the maze of a house. They staggered into the seventh bedroom they had passed, and he pulled her into another room that doubled as a walk in wardrobe.

"I think we lost her for a minute, let me look at that wound." Warrick said gently.

"We're all gonna get out, right?" Catherine panted as Warrick ripped down the jumpsuit to inspect the bleeding.

"Sure." Warrick agreed. He sighed in relief. "It's just a graze."

He ripped down an antique looking scarf and wrapped it tightly around her dainty waist. Then he helped her pull her jumpsuit back on.

A muffled scream almost like a war cry sounded from somewhere else in the house, and they froze.

"That sounded like Nicky." Catherine whispered.

"I know." Warrick swallowed. "Let's get out of here, Brass will keep spare weapons and a radio in his car, we can get help."

Catherine nodded, and taking Warrick's hand they ran through the house. Warrick pulled open a door, and came face to face with a livid Victoria. All three froze, before Warrick and Catherine turned and bolted, racing the other way. Victoria sprinted after them and in her advanced physical shape easily grabbed Catherine's hair.

The strawberry blonde cried out in pain as she was yanked to a halt. Victoria threw her against a wall.

"This is all your fault!" She shrieked. Catherine was afraid – she had never seen the curly haired woman so out of control. Warrick staggered forward, but the woman swiftly pistol whipped him, sending him to the floor and pressed the gun up to Catherine's chin. "Come nearer and I'll shoot!" she started to sob angrily. "That stupid little Sanders kid was broken, _broken! _And you fixed him! So he thinks he can escape, and now that stupid f***ing Texan killed Jack! The evil son of a bitch stuck him in the heart!"

Catherine's mind blurred. A captor was dead?

"Jack was family! The bastard took him!" she shrieked. "So I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I am sure Heracles stuck him like a pig! Just like he said he would."

"So you know how it feels, bitch!" Catherine shrieked back, filled with anger and grief. She would not allow herself to think Nick was dead. No.

"Jack was worth more than that Texan piece of-"

"Jack was a murdering, torturing, racist English asshole! Nicky is a good man!"

"Was! He's dead. He begged for mercy. Told them to kill Greg instead."

"LIAR!" Catherine screeched.

Warrick watched in astonishment as a fully fledged cat fight broke out between the two women. He managed to pick up the gun, but as he leaned in to try and help Catherine, her elbow connected with his jaw, and he backed off.

The door flew open and Cayden walked in, a gun in his hand and sorrow on his face.

"Kid, put the gun down!" Warrick begged. "Please, I don't want to hurt you!"

"I shot you. Of course you want to hurt me!" Cayden snorted, and pointed the gun at Catherine. Warrick lurched forward and tried to prise the gun out of the boy's grasp. "Let go!"

Suddenly, the gun discharged. Both women stopped.

"NO!" Warrick shouted as Cayden's mouth formed a tiny 'o'. Blood pooled around his chest and he fell to the floor. Warrick went to put pressure on the wound.

"Daddy?" Cayden's eyes fluttered closed.

As the other woman was distracted, Victoria pulled a hair comb out of her hairand stabbed it into Catherine's heart.

Catherine screamed, and Warrick scooped up the boys gun, not hesitating before shooting Victoria once in the head. He scooped Catherine into his arms.

"Okay, Cath, hang on!" She looked at him and nodded, pressing her hands to the bleeding wound. He kicked open the door and laughed in relief. "I found it! Cath, we found it! Cath? Cath? CATHERINE? No, no, no, no, no!" Warrick raced out of the open side door, shaking Catherine's unconscious body as he raced to Brass's car, which he knew would have first aid equipment. A couple of bullets pinged past his head as he reached the car. "Sorry, Jim." He muttered, smashing a window and unlocking the car. He slid Catherine onto the backseat, and breathing heavily, she opened her eyes and looked into Warrick's.

"Nicky...dead?"

Warrick's eyes stung. "I don't know. I hope not. She was probably lying."

Tears leaked from Catherine's eyes, and blood from her mouth. "Hurts..."

"I know, Catherine, I know. But you gotta hold on, okay? Otherwise, Greg will just call you a hypocrite for forever and a day."

Catherine laughed slightly, but started to cough. A shattering of glass caused Warrick to duck, as he realised that someone was shooting at the car. He reached for Brass' spare radio – that man left nothing to chance – but he couldn't reach it.

"Catherine, I have to stop the bleeding."

Once again he pulled the jumpsuit down, and was terrified at the amount of blood that he saw.

"S'bad?"

"A little."

"Tell...tell Greg I'm sorry...Im a hypo...crite."

Warrick shook his head. "Catherine, don't!"

"Tell...Lindsey...I love her..."

"You tell her yourself!" Warrick ordered. "Hold on!"

"Help...Nicky...if I...die..."

"Catherine, don't give up now, please!" Warrick begged.

"Sorry." Catherine's eyes fluttered closed.

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Grissom seemed to have a pattern to the doors he picked, but Sara could do nothing but follow.

"Grissom!" she gasped finally. "I have...to stop...can't..."

"Okay, okay..." he huffed himself. He took her into a small looking room and they crouched beneath a desk. Grissom clutched his gun desperately, and Sara gripped his arm. The protective instinct swelled in Grissom as it had when Jack talked about Greg.

"I...I'm glad you found us, Grissom. I'm glad that if...if I die, at least I will have tried to get away." Sara murmured. "Do you think the others are okay?"

Grissom looked at her hopelessly. "I don't know. Can you run?" honestly, Grissom knew that he wasn't in best shape either. He hadn't been eating or sleeping, and the toll had been taken on his body. He hadn't exactly been Mr. Las Vegas before Greg was thrown into hell, either. However, adrenalin was a powerful thing as he discovered, running back through the corridors and halls with Sara. He cried out in relief when he saw the magnificent staircase he had seen on his way in. The front door was still open.

"Yelira! Here!" A voice called. Itzli rounded the corner, closing in on the pair.

"Run, Sara!" Grissom called, stopping and pointing his gun at the advancing threat. She hesitated. "Sara, _run! _That's an order, run!"

She turned towards the staircase and ran, and Grissom realised with horror that he was down to his last bullet.

_And you can't kill two birds with one stone. _

He aimed at Itzli with shaking hands and pulled the trigger once. The bullet struck the man's gut. His gorgeous face contorted in shock and pain as he fell. Yelira roared, and threw herself at Grissom.

Sara ran towards the door, and turned as she heard the struggle. Hand to hand combat, not Grissom's strongpoint. "You should have stayed, Sidle!" she muttered to herself, preparing to climb back up the stairs.

A horror struck cry lifted her head up.

Sara Sidle screamed as Gil Grissom flew down the biggest flight of stairs she had ever seen in a house.

He lay crumpled at the bottom of the stairs, bloody pooling quickly.

"Grissom!" she screeched, running towards him. Yelira raised her gun to Sara's head.

A single gunshot rang through the night. The woman fell, her body arching in a last act of grace before landing on one of the men who meant the most in the world to her. The man she had secretly loved for so long.

The two blood pools became one as the red liquid flowed down the marble stairs.

The shooter lowered their weapon.

The guilty had paid.

Their job was nearly done.

**Yes, I am happy with this. Once again, thanks for reviewing - what do you think of this one?**


	30. Chapter 29

**Hola! Okay, this is a very short chapter and I'm sorry. However, it kinda marks the end of PART ONE (unofficially). Trust me, there is more to this story than meets the eye, and there is more angst/hurt/comfort/drama/family stuff on the way, I SWEAR**

**Thanks to C.H.W.13 -you are very welcome ;)-, Jannet525, Marymel, lotzalove, si-te-hace-feliz, Firefox01, W.S.C Magica de Spell, Lamborga Shadowchaser56 and CCMoore for reviewing the last chapter, it is much appreciated. Anyways, sorry for the length, otherwise I quite like this chappy. Do you?**

**Read. Enjoy. Review. Pretty please with gumdrops on top?**

**Chapter Twenty Nine**

Blood pooled around Sara's head.

"Saaara!" a strangled voice cried out.

A stronger voice joined in. "Sara! Gil!"

She raised her head with a soft moan, and raised her hand to the large gash on her forehead from where she had hit in when she dropped in response to the shot.

She peered up and saw two figures standing at the top of the stairs. One stumbled clumsily, being supported by the second, shorter man, who's gun was still aimed at the other two people at the top of the stairs.

The pair slid down the stairs, and Sara had never been more relieved to see either figure.

"Nicky! Brass!" she choked. Fear pounded her skull as she finally reached Grissom. Her boss groaned and rolled over. He opened his intelligent blue eyes and winced as he pulled himself into a sitting position. When he saw Nick,  
his heart both rose and fell.

He tried to speak but his voice transformed to a cough. He massaged his throat.

"Where is Greg?" he croaked. Nick's eyes showed fear and almost guilt.

"I don't know." his voice sounded worse than Grissom's, and Grissom was alarmed at the blood dripping from Nick's arm - despite the belt tied tightly around his shoulder that should act as a tourniquet.

"Nicky, what happened?"

"He's running. Heracles is chasing him." Nick rasped. "I...I told him to run. I tried to hold Heracles off. I tried. He...I don't know what happened. I woke up, Brass was there. Greg and Heracles were gone."

"Okay," Grissom panted. "Brass, do you have backup weapons in your car?"

The detective nodded. "Let's get out of here, we can call for backup that hasn't arrived and grab first aid, guns-"

"Greg," Nick began, but Brass held his hand up.

"And go back and find Greg. And Warrick and Catherine."

They scurried back to the car, hanging low. When they reached the car, Brass wrenched open the door, exposing a panicking Warrick, his hands desperately pressed against Catherine's chest, blood oozing out from between his fingers.

"Thank god," he hissed, then he narrowed his eyes. "Where's Greg?"

Nick hung his head, and hissed loudly in pain. He grasped his arm and he swayed slightly. His eyes fluttered and he stumbled back, collapsing against Sara, who caught him shakily and opened up the front door, pushing Nick into the car. She manouvered him to sit in the foot space of the passenger seat, his head resting on the seat itself.

"He's lost a lot of blood." Brass said quietly, and Nick moaned softly.

Every muscle in Grissom's body ached, but he accepted a gun from Brass nevertheless.

"No." Sara placed a hand on Grissom's, assessing the situation in seconds. "You stay with Catherine and Nick, keep them from bleeding too much. Warrick can come back in with Brass and I - we'll get Greg." Grissom frowned, but Sara interrupted. "You need to wait for backup, protect Cath and Nick, but Greg can't wait!"

"And why me?" Grissom asked in desperate interest.

"Because you're injured and you can't run as fast. Can we go now? We're wasting time."

"Wait!" Brass jogged around to the back and threw Sara and Warrick bullet proof vests. "Here, I came prepared. This is against protocol, but then again, it is Sanders."

They slid them on as against every instinct in their bodies, they sprinted back to the house.

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Burning.

It wasn't a new sensation to Greg. In fact, it was almost normal now.

His stomach burned. His bare feet burned. His muscles burned. His throat and eyes burned with tears, shed and unshed. His heart burned with guilt and fear and grief. He continued to run as fast as he could, but it was difficult.

Greg ran with everything he had. Somehow, despite the shoe thrown in the wrong direction, Heracles knew where to find him, which left Greg seriously regretting running upstairs. He tumbled into a hall with five different doors. Greg desperately wrenched open a door and flew into a large bedroom. He leaned against the wall for a second to catch his breath, thinking that Heracles would at least need a minute to decide which door.

However, the door burst open straight away accompanied by a loud roar.

With a sob, Greg lurched forward again, stumbling desperately out of the back door. _They must have eyes around the house, _he thought _and someone telling him where to go. _ He ran and ran, until he flew into a dead end. He stopped and half slumped against the wall.

"Please," he panted as Heracles advanced, weakly holding his hands up in front of him. "Please...don't..."

"You wanna die, kid? Join dear old Nicky?"

Greg's tears poured down his cheeks. "No...please...leave...me...alone!" He gasped, trying to draw in oxygen.

"I am going to kill you slowly, kid, but I will kill you, make no mistake."

Greg whimpered as Heracles drew closer. He raised his hands to protect his face, but Heracles' powerful punch to his head took him down. Greg cried out in pain as Heracles pulled out all of the stops, slamming kicks into Greg's ribs and stomach, hard and fast.

"Stop!" Greg howled, which only fuelled the larger man's strikes.

Greg coughed, and began to panic when he saw all the blood. Suddenly, Heracles stopped and shoved his knee into Greg's chest, wrapping his hands around Greg's neck and squeezing. Greg choked desperately, and tears continued sliding down his face as stars swam before his eyes. Just as he blacked out, the pressure was released and he could breathe again.

Then Heracles pulled out a knife.

"Oh god, help! Help me! Somebody help me please!" Greg screamed as the knife flew into his arm, exactly where it had struck Nick. Heracles threw the knife to the side and revealed a gun. He pressed it to Greg's gut. "Someone help me!" Sobs punctuated Greg's screams and he choked on his own tears.

Heracles' free hand dragged Greg's face up to his own. He made sure that the terrified young man was staring right into his eyes as he pulled the trigger.

The door burst open, and still screaming in agony, Greg's head fell to the side.

A gun jammed into his head as Sara, Warrick and Brass froze in the doorway.

"Greg..." Sara whispered, her gun faltering.

"Give me the weapons." Heracles hissed, twisting his gun further into Greg's head. Greg was crying in pain and hopelessly trying to control the blood flowing from his gut.

Warrick and Brass lowered their weapons, but Sara had had enough. She was exhausted. She was in pain. She was terrified. And she had had enough. She fired a single shot that met its target right between the giant man's eyes. He slumped down on top of Greg. Brass and Warrick ran forward and heaved the corpse off of their friend. Greg coughed violently, blood spilling from his mouth.

"Shit!" Warrick cursed in a low voice. "Okay, Greggo, we're gonna try to get you out of here, if we help you can you walk?"

Greg moaned softly, and shook his head. "I'm...sorry...leave...me..."

"No way Greg. We came back for you, we won't leave without you!" Sara insisted.

Greg coughed. "I...deserve...it. Left...Nicky...dead."

"Nicky's alive." Warrick interrupted, and Greg shook his head sadly.

"I found him, Sanders." Brass said kindly. "He's with Catherine and Grissom."

"Really?" Greg began slurring his words. "I...go'...Fifteen...minutes..."

"What?" Sara asked.

"How long...it will...take me... to...d...die." Greg stammered. "fif'een minu'es."

"Well then we need to get you to a hospital then Greg." Brass carefully brushed over the fact that the nearest hospital was over forty minutes away.

"I can't..." Greg sobbed, and Sara stroked his hair. "Hurts... too... much... can't move."

"I know, G. You gotta hold on for us." Warrick soothed. He squatted next to Greg and eased the writhing man into his arms, wincing when he cried out. "I'm sorry, Greg. We just gotta get you out of here, okay? It's not safe."

Greg turned his head towards Warrick's chest and nodded.

The foursome staggered back down the stairs, but as they reached the door, a single voice called calmly to them.

"Stop."

They froze, and turned. Greg shook his head slowly, muttering to himself softly. "No, no, no."

Acolmiztli pointed a gun at Warrick's heart. "You all have taken everything." Sara opened her mouth but the tattooed man interrupted. "You merely had to be tested. Everyone must pass the test."

Sara stood in front of Warrick, and everyone frowned in confusion. Her body would only slow the path of a bullet.

"Run." She breathed. Warrick shook his head.

"Sara-"

"Get Greg to safety, find help for the others. Run. Brass-"

"No way, Sara."

"You have to protect them. They're all injured. Please."

Brass touched Sara's hand. "See you in a minute."

"Sara," Greg moaned incoherently. "Sara...don' go anywhere. Please, stay."

"I'm not leaving, Greg." She whispered, for the briefest of moments turning her head. "You've been my hero, Greg. Now it's time for me to save you, okay?" Greg nodded, not quite following. "I love you, Greg Sanders."

"Love you too, Sara Sidle." Greg mumbled.

"Now!" Sara screamed, drawing her gun and shooting at the madman.

Warrick and Brass sprinted out of the building and reached the car. Nick was semi-conscious, but when he saw Greg he tried to sit up. Grissom looked up in worry but didn't remove his hands from stemming the blood flow from Catherine's wound. It was still leaking.

Brass broke into the young patrol cops car and Warrick lay an increasingly delirious Greg down on the seat, trying not to look at the poor young officer who had called in the red car.

"Greg!" Nick called weakly. "Wha...wha happen?"

Warrick's heart sank when he realised that Nick was also slurring his words. "He got shot, buddy."

Nick struggled to comprehend the information as a distant wail of much needed backup and medical support filled the air. "Shot?"

"Sara!" Greg called suddenly, his eyes fluttering open and closed. "Don' hurt 'er...don'...Sara...come back!"

Inside the entrance way of the house, Sara screamed loudly.

"Sara!" Everyone but the unconscious Catherine screamed. The police cars flew round the corner followed by three ambulances.

Sara stumbled out of the building covered in blood, incredibly shaken and with three bullets embedded in the bullet proof vest. She fell into Brass, rambling about a lucky shot. "He's down, he's down, he's down!"

As the police officers and paramedics exited their vehicles, Brass rambled off the fastest update in LVPD history, and Grissom directed the paramedics into manoeuvring Catherine, Greg and Nick into the ambulances.

"I'll call for backup, get some more ambulances-" one began, but Warrick interrupted as Greg started to wail for help inside the ambulance, fever, fear and injuries causing him to panic.

"Can't we double up?"

"None of them should be alone right now." Brass insisted, backing Warrick up. "They need each other. And also then the others will get to the hospital quicker – they're hurt too."

The paramedics exchanged glances, but most of them had crossed the CSIs before, one way or the other, so they nodded. "Just be quick."

With practically no thought, Sara slid in to comfort Greg, who quietened almost immediately. Warrick assumed his position from a few what felt like a lifetime ago and held Nick's hand in the back of the ambulance, and Grissom went with Catherine.

"Sara?" Greg called out, his eyes closed, sweat gleaming on his forehead.

"I'm here, Greg." she murmured softly, holding Greg's hand firmly. As the paramedics flitted around, putting wires and things into Greg and herself. She didn't even care.

"Sara." Greg forced his eyes open. "Every'ing 'urts."

"I know, Greg, it's gonna be okay."

"Is Nicky okay?"

"He's in an ambulance with Warrick. Just like us."

"Ho'pital?"

"Yes."

Greg closed his eyes and murmured something softly.

"What?" Sara asked, leaning forward.

"I'm dying?"

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Nick glanced at Warrick, his eyes suspiciously flitting over the paramedics. Then he moaned as the ambulance jolted, grasping his arm.

"Okay, Nicky, okay. We're good, we're good."

"Can' hold on, Rick." Nick slurred. "Don' wanna die..."

"Aw, c'mon Nicky. I know you can hold on." an idea sprung into his mind. "But...I bet you can't hold on. I bet you my new TV that you can't hold on. It's a flatscreen..."

"You think I'm a gonner?"

"Nah. I'm just giving you a reason to hold on."

"A TV?"

"I'll throw in the play station, too." Warrick said, trying to give his friend a reason to hold on.

"Sounds good." Nick chuckled, closing his eyes.

Warrick laughed, and closed his own eyes. Suddenly, a paramedics fearful voice jolted them open.

"He's flatlining!"

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

****Grissom stared at Catherine, his number two, with shock numbing his senses.

_The CSIs were sat on the wall_

_The CSIs they had a great fall,_

_All Grissom's horses and all Grissom's men, _

_Could not put the CSIs together. _

__Grissom dropped his head into his hands as he thought about everything his team had experienced.

"It's not fair." he whispered.

"I'm sorry sir? Did you say something?" A paramedic asked.

"It's not fair." Grissom repeated, looking at Catherine's lifeless body. "It's not fair."

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

__The other cops tried to ask Brass what had happened. He stared after the ambulances. He hadn't realized just how much each of those people meant to him. Even Sanders. And they were in so much pain, and still in danger. It wasn't right, it wasn't _fair. _

As the ambulances disappeared round the corner, the war-hardened, tough as nails detective shocked the other police officers as they saw glistening tears slide down his face.


	31. Chapter 30

**Sorry about the slight wait! Life is really busy at the moment. Thank you to Shadowchaser56, Marymel, Shannon, si-te-hace-feliez, firefox01 and seven anonymous peeps for reviewing! Thanks so much. This is the next bit. I have no medical knowledge, so I apologize in advance if I offend anyone. I hope that you enjoy the chapter!**

**Read. Enjoy. Review!**

**Chapter Thirty**

_Greg was running. Someone was chasing him, he didn't know who. Nick and Sara were running on either side of him, Catherine and Warrick were running behind and Grissom was taking the lead._

_Suddenly with the unmistakable crack of gunfire, Nick fell, a huge hole from a large calibre gun in the back of his head. Sara was next to fall. Greg screamed, but his legs wouldn't stop running. Catherine screamed and fell, brining Warrick down with her. Their empty eyes stared at him as he ran. Each one had a perfectly formed hole in the top of their head, execution style, blood pooling onto the floor._

_He tried to turn back, to help them, but he couldn't control his legs. Finally, Grissom took a shot to the head, blood spraying everywhere. Greg was choking on it, it was everywhere. He was choking on Grissom's blood. Choking, choking, choking..._

"Greg? Greg, its okay. Its okay, Greg." Sara's voice.

_But Sara is dead..._

"Greg, sweetie, wake up."

Greg's eyes fluttered open, and found Sara's brown ones. She was wearing white. An angel? Well, he couldn't imagine Sara Sidle going to hell. He tried to talk but there was a tube in his throat. His hands raised towards it but Sara held them down softly.

"Keep it in, Greg. You're okay." He pointed to her mean fully, and she smiled sadly. "I'm okay. I'm okay."

He motioned for something to write with, and Sara passed him a pen and paper. With trembling hands and great effort, he wrote.

_u didn't leave me. _

She smiled and stroked his hair. "No, Greg. I didn't. And I won't leave you." She read his next word, and the single word was all he needed to ask the burning question.

_Others?_

Sara's eyes filled with tears. "Warrick and Grissom are good. Grissom has some broken bones; he'll be here for a little longer. Warrick's bullet wound got infected, but he's mainly okay...Catherine's got a load of wires and machines attached to her, but the doctors are optimistic, they plan to take her off it tomorrow."

Greg's heart hurt as he realised who she had left out. He wrote one more word.

_Nick?_

Sara sniffed. "He flat lined on the way to the hospital, Greg."

Greg shook his head and narrowed his eyes at Sara. Tears filled her eyes as Greg's sentiment was expressed as clear as could be in his pained eyes.

_You're lying! _

"They brought him back, but he's very weak. Some of his knife wounds were infected, and they don't think he's strong enough to fight the infection. They don't think he'll make it."

Greg's eyes filled with tears, and his chest shook in a sob that the breathing apparatus wouldn't allow to be heard. Sara held Greg's hand shushing him gently. "We've been worried about you, Greg. This isn't the first time you've woken up, but you were screaming...So I'm staying in the bed just there, okay? Archie's doing good, he's come to see you a couple of times. We've been here for four days."

Greg felt...well he didn't even know. There was relief in there, and grief, mixed with pain, confusion and fear. He reached out for Sara's hand as he felt himself slip into sleep. He scribbled desperately on the paper, and Sara had to squint to read the scrawl.

_Don't want sleep. I wake up?_

Sara's eyes involuntarily filled with tears. "You'll wake up, Greg I promise, I promise! And I will be here when you do. Little brother." Greg held Sara's hand and tried to smile at her as he slipped into unconsciousness.

**CSIVCSIVCSIV **

The wheels of the chair squeaked slightly as he pushed himself down the slightly dark corridor. Grissom's arms were glad that the hospital staff had agreed to let the team have rooms in a single ward down one corridor. He glanced into the nearest room to him. Nick was lying asleep on his hospital bed. The younger man had a hell of a time in the hospital, but finally, he was in a stable condition, the infection all but gone.

Now he slept peacefully, a look of calm on his face. Grissom rolled past the next room and smiled at the sight. Catherine was also asleep, an IV in her arm and a tube in her nose. Her body was curled around a smaller body. Lindsey Willows also had an IV to deal with the left over effects of the poison, but she wasn't infectious, so they let her stay in the same room as her mother. The smaller crib however was abandoned, and Lindsey was tucked up in Catherine's bed, her arms wrapped tightly around her mom as if she would never let her go.

Cursing the wheelchair, Grissom moved on. Sara and Greg were both asleep, their beds less than a metre apart. Greg's vivid nightmares had worried the doctors and therapists at first, which was the main reason for Sara being in the same room. The brother sister relationship between them was so strong that Greg's mother Elise had commented on their closeness. But anyone who looked at them could tell that despite their special bond, Greg and Sara weren't romantically involved. They held each other strong, looked after each other. Greg had had a nightmare, Grissom could tell- Sara's hand was loosely linked in his.

Grissom rolled down the hall. His last CSI, Warrick was awake, staring up at the ceiling. He looked up when Grissom rolled past, and smiled slightly at his boss, inviting him in with a shrug.

"You likin' your new wheels?" He asked, and Grissom rolled his eyes.

"No." His fall down the stairs had shattered his left humorous, so his arm was in a sling, and it had cracked a vertebrae in his spine that had been worsened by a violent jolt in the ambulance. The swelling was causing paralysis that the doctors informed him should be temporary. Emphasis on should. "I feel helpless, and that worries me."

Warrick nodded. "Acolmiztli is still out there."

They hadn't found the man's body in the house, only a pool of blood that Wendy was running through every database known to man, and despite the fact that it had been two weeks; she wasn't giving in, calling labs and companies all over the world.

"I want to say that we'll get him, but until we do, I don't think this is over."

"I know. It won't be over for a long time, even if we do get him." Warrick's voice was soft and fragile, a tone he hadn't used much before.

"I know. Warrick, I'm sorry I didn't get to you sooner."

Warrick frowned at Grissom. "Griss, there was nothing you could do. What could you have done?"

Grissom just shook his head. "Nothing. That's the worst part. No, I take that back. The worst part was thinking I would be too late, and that I would never get the chance to say things. Like, I thought I would never get the chance to tell Greg how proud I am of him, and how much he's grown. Or tell Catherine how much I depend on her. Or Nick, how he is a great CSI and a better man than I will ever be. Or tell Sara how much I admire her determination. Or you...I thought I'd never get to tell you how much you're like a son to me, Warrick." Warrick knew how hard it was for Grissom to open up like that, and he put a hand on his bosses shoulder.

"You should talk to them. And thanks. I...you're the closest thing to a father I've ever had."

The two men sat amongst the rubble that was all that was left of the strong walls they used to protect them.

**CSIVCSIVCSIV **

Three and a half months had passed. Using evidence found in the Victorian house, the lab rats single handedly solved the Noche y Dia shooting. They even found a heap of shell casings under a small bed covered in his fingerprints, and concluded that the child had collected the casings as the shooting happened.

Wendy was still on a mission to identify Acolmiztli's blood, but she was slowing down as she ran out of databases.

It was a fairly important day, as Nick was going to leave the hospital. He had been the last to leave as his infection was the worst, but now, four months exactly had passed since the Noche y Dia shooting. Four months since it all began and finally, Nick was leaving the hospital.

He wasn't going home, though. Since Warrick's injuries were the least severe, he had been first to be discharged. However, after one day of being home alone, he returned to the hospital until Greg was discharged four days later. Greg stayed with Warrick, as they were both secretly a little afraid of being alone, especially with Acolmiztli still at large.

Grissom had gone home the day after Greg. He was staying with Brass for a while at the detective's insistence. Brass was cautious to the point of being paranoid, but he gave Grissom a large deal of privacy and his apartment was a lot closer to Warrick's than Grissom's was which put Grissom's mind at ease as he knew that he could get to his guys in a matter of minutes if he needed to.

Sara was discharged just after Warrick, but stayed in the hospital another month with Catherine and Lindsey, and went home with them. The two women were closer than ever after Catherine intervened with Heracles but though the others noticed the transition from friends to sisters, neither woman said anything and the others didn't pry.

Nick was planning on going back to Warrick's house, and when Grissom picked him up that's where they went.

"Oh, man you beat me again?" Greg moaned as Warrick's car crossed the finish line. The other man chuckled.

"Hey, it ain't Mario Kart - you don't know how to cheat!"

Suddenly the doorbell rang. Warrick leapt up, and ran to the door. When he opened it, Nick was smiling at him with Grissom and Brass. Warrick let them into the house, but Grissom and Brass declined the invitation.

"See you later, Nicky." Grissom smiled. He had been smiling a lot more than usual recently, despite the threat of Acolmiztli still out there.

"Thanks for the ride, Brass." Nick smiled. Warrick put an arm around Nick. "Don't worry about anything, fellas. I'll be sure to look after little Nicky."

Nick snorted.

"I'm sure you will. I think he eats big boy food now, and there's still a protection detail out on your house, just in case he's too much of a handful." Brass joked.

"Haha, guys, very funny." Nick said, rolling his eyes.

"Are you sure you two don't want a drink?" Warrick asked.

"Nah. I gotta get started on some paperwork, and if I don't start now, I won't start at all." Brass sighed. "Plus, Grissom has to take his meds. Don't you, Gil?"

Grissom raised his eyebrows. "Don't patronise me, Jim!" He rammed his wheelchair into Brass' knees.

"Ow!"

"And you say Greg acts like a little kid." Nick shook his head.

Grissom shrugged. "I'm out of this chair in three days. I may as well make the most of it."

Brass grabbed the handles of the chair and wheeled the protesting Grissom into the back of the car.

"Come on in, Nick. I'm whoopin' Greg's ass on my brand new x-box. You wanna try?" Warrick said with a smirk.

"Sure, man, sure!" Nick grinned. "Hey, Greggo!" he called, entering Warrick's living room. "Where'd he go?"

"Must be in the bathroom." Warrick shrugged, moving into the kitchen to grab a six pack.

Nick slumped down onto Warrick's couch. "Aw, man!"

"What?"

"Someone spilt something."

"Damn, I'm gonna kill Greg, that couch is new!" Warrick sighed and shook his head.

Nick cursed, wiping his wet hand on his trousers. Then he froze.

"Rick?" he asked in a strangled tone.

"What?" Warrick called absently from the kitchen.

"This is blood..."

"Wh...what?"

Nick stood up. "Greg? Greg!"

Warrick dropped the beer and ran into the living room. Nick was standing up in the middle of the room. He sneezed.

"Greg!" Warrick called with growing trepidation. "Greg, this isn't funny, where the hell are you?"

"Greg!" Nick's voice was strangled. _"Greg!"_

"What? Can't I take a leak without the pair of you checking up on me?"

Nick's eyes closed in relief as Greg came down the hall. He looked back to the couch. There was a large pool of blood oozing out from the sofa.

"Jeez, Nick are you okay? That's a lot of blood!" Greg jogged painfully to Nick, who shook his head.

"I thought..." he couldn't finish his sentence.

"You thought it was mine?" Greg arrived at Nick's side and put an arm on Nick's.

Warrick ripped up the cushion. A large clear plastic sachet of blood the size of a football was revealed.

"What the hell?" Warrick frowned and lifted up the bag with a pair of clean chopsticks.

Underneath, blood was seeping into deep grooves carved into Warrick's couch.

Greg swallowed the whimper in his throat and his arm gripped Nick's involuntarily.

"Crap..." Warrick murmured. "We need to call Grissom."

"This is never gonna end." Greg's voice was disbelieving and Warrick came up beside him, one hand on his gun, the other hand on Greg's shoulder.

"Sure it will." Warrick's voice was hard. "This bastard is not going to win." All three men studied the writing on the couch that had been written in a matter of minutes.

_We has eyes, we has ears, whatever you says, we always hears. _

_You took everything from me. It is time to return the favour. _

_I believe that if a man dies on an unfinished mission, it is up to his friends to complete that mission._

_Heracles died on an unfinished mission._

_See you soon, Mr. Sanders._

Greg moaned softly. Out of all of them, he had suffered the most psychological trauma. He had been there the longest, and debatably endured the most. His nights were still plagued with nightmares that he wouldn't talk about, though his friends knew they were there. He would flinch when the doorbell rang, back away if a stranger approached him. When he visited the lab the day after leaving the hospital to pick up a few things from his locker, he couldn't help but freak out at the sight of the open flame on the Bunsen burner.

They were all suffering PTSD. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. But Greg's was worse than the others. They all knew.

"Greg," Nick said softly, putting an arm around the shaking man's shoulders. "We're not going to let him near you, okay? He's not going to hurt you."

Greg nodded, biting his lip. For the past month he had been desperately trying not to show the fear he felt every minute of every day. He had done a damn good job, too. The only emotions he expressed were positive, or sadness that time that Warrick messed up the pizza order.

"He won't just stop." He whispered, closing his eyes. Warrick's hand grasped the top of his arm.

"He's not going to hurt us."

Greg knew. He knew deep down what had happened. He knew. He was already broken. That's why Acolmiztli and Heracles addressed everything to him. His friends were holding him together, but he was broken. Unfixable.

Greg's knees gave way and he sunk dismally to the floor. He could vaguely feel Nick holding him.

"We won't let him hurt you." Nick's voice was shaky, and it almost made Greg feel better when he saw he wasn't the only one crying. "I'd die before I let him hurt you again, we all would."

"I know..." Greg sniffed. "That's what I'm worried about."

**MWAHAHAHA! You thought it was over, but its not!** **Yet ;)**


	32. Chapter 31

**Okay, gotta be super quick – I'm on my hols and have been limited to twenty mins of internet each day! SOOOOOO sorry for the LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG wait! This one is for all the awesome and amazing people that I don't have time to name that read the last chapter! Love you guys. **

**Read. Enjoy. Review. **

**Chapter Thirty One**

Catherine sighed in irritation as the doorbell rang. She heaved herself of the sofa from the middle of Sara and Lindsey. The other two snuggled together.

"Oh, so I stand up for a second and you replace me with each other?" Catherine raised her eyebrows.

Sara and Lindsey stuck their tongues out simultaneously, and Catherine rolled her eyes. She dragged herself to the door and peeped through the peephole.

"Hey guy..." Catherine trailed off as she opened the door and saw the look on the faces of her three 'boys'. "What the hell is going on?"

"He's back. He was in my house." Warrick explained.

Catherine's eyes widened and she took in Nick's hollow, frightened eyes, his arm wrapped around the shoulders of a trembling Greg. "In. Now."

They came into the house and piled into the hallway. They could vaguely hear Sara and Lindsey's raising voices.

"What happened?" Catherine turned to the boys quietly.

Warrick and Nick explained what had happened in hushed tones, not wanting to upset Lindsey or Sara. Greg remained silent, staring blankly at the floor. Occasionally Nick squeezed his shoulder and each time the three older CSIs waited in bated breath for a reaction. Each time they were disappointed. A thick silence fell over the three of them.

"Mommy!"

Catherine swallowed. "Yeah sweetie?"

"You're not supposed to feel sorry for the Mummy are you?"

"What?" Catherine called to Lindsey who was shouting from the living room.

"You know the film _The Mummy_? You shouldn't feel sorry for the Mummy, right?"

"Did Sara change the channel? I thought we were watching _Bride Wars_?"

"_Mom!"_

"No, you're not supposed to feel sorry for the Mummy."

"Ha! Told you, Sara." Lindsey's voice lowered again slightly.

"Greg..." Catherine murmured. He didn't move. "Greg!"

He slowly raised his eyes to Catherine's slowly. They looked empty and hollow, but the motherly instinct in Cath's mind allowed her to see what the two other boys missed. The small flicker of light that constantly shone in the back of his eyes. A small hint of life, a tiny trace of hope, a little piece of the old Greg Sanders. It was just dampened by fear and pain.

"Sweetie, it's going to be okay."

Greg sighed and shook his head.

Lindsey squealed and ran into the hall. "_MOM!_ Sara tickled me! Who's at the...oh, hey guys!" she frowned, fear flooding her thirteen year old body as she looked at the adults' faces. "Mom, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, swee-"

"Mom, I'm not dumb." She looked at Greg. "Greg? Will you tell me what's going on?"

"Linds-"

"Greg." Lindsey ignored her mom. "You look scared."

Greg chuckled humourlessly. "I am."

"Why?"

"Because..." Greg's voice was hoarse. He glanced at Catherine slightly apologetically. "Because I'm gonna die."

Lindsey's frown deepened and her mouth popped open. "Are you sick?"

Greg shook his head, tears trailing morosely down his cheeks. "He's going to kill me."

"Greg..." Catherine warned slightly, torn between feeling great that Greg was talking and horrified about what he was saying to Lindsey.

"Acolmiztli?" Everyone stared at the child. Catherine had insisted on not letting her daughter know any details of what happened. She shrugged. "Mom and Sara both talk in their sleep when they have nightmares. I know a lot about what happened."

Catherine's eyes bulged, and Sara looked at the floor slightly guiltily from her new place at the doorway.

"So why is he going to kill you?"

"Lindsey." Catherine began firmly, but the two youngest people in the room had locked eyes and the connection wasn't going away.

"Because I got away. And his people didn't." Greg whispered. "He's going to kill me. And I don't want to die."

Lindsey took a deep breath. "And you don't think that Nicky and Warrick and Sara and Grissom and Jim and Mom will protect you?"

"They'll try." Greg's voice was soft and vulnerable. "But they can't."

Lindsey shuffled over, tripping slightly on her mom's long fluffy dressing gown. She wrapped her tiny arms around Greg – she had lost a lot of weight during her illness and her limbs were scarily skinny. For Greg, however, it was strangely comforting. He hugged her back tightly.

"We'll look after you, Greg." She murmured, rubbing his back. Greg sniffled, before starting to cry again.

A memory burst through Catherine's mind as she watched her daughter and one she considered a son.

_It just wasn't fair. Wasn't fair. Eddie wasn't the best guy in the world but he loved Lindsey and he was good to her. Now, thanks to some stupid pink haired punk singer, Lindsey didn't have a father. She lay on her bed, sobbing into her hands. _

_Sara had tried as hard as she could to catch the person responsible. But there was no way of knowing who had pulled the trigger. The asshole that killed her baby's father was going to walk after only a couple of years._

_A small hand found its way onto her shoulder. "Don't cry, mommy, don't cry. It's okay..." _

"Don't cry, Greg, don't cry..." Lindsey mumbled gently. "It's okay..."

Greg just shook his head into the small girl's shoulder. Nick shook his own head. He felt useless – a thirteen year old girl could do the one thing that he couldn't – comfort Greg.

"I've called Grissom..." Warrick said softly. "He and Brass are on their way."

"My basement is a safe room big enough for us all." Nick said suddenly. Everyone stared at him. He shifted uncomfortably. "The last guy to live there had a massive wine cellar. After...after Crane, stalking me I started to move some stuff down there...after I was buried, I started to secure it. I kinda went a little over the top during the time off work; I made it as safe as can be. We could go there, stay for a while, call the cops in, find the bast-" Nick glanced at Lindsey. "Bad man."

The group smiled slightly. "I'll call Grissom." Catherine nodded. "Tell him the change of plan. Baby, grab your emergency bag."

Lindsey nodded and skipped into her room.

"I'll help." Sara followed the young teen into her bedroom. The two had become very close since Sara had moved in with them. Catherine slipped two rucksacks out from a nearby cupboard.

"You and Linds have emergency bags?" Warrick asked.

"And Sara. I'm sorry for being so paranoid, but my kid, my friends and I were nearly killed a little while ago and I can't go through that again. So, yes. We have emergency bags."

Warrick smiled slightly. "Mine's in my car."

Greg looked at Catherine. "I'm sorry, Catherine."

"About what?"

"Scaring Lindsey."

Catherine put a hand on Greg's shoulder before dragging him into her own arms. "Don't apologize until you have something to apologize for."

"But I-"

"Not a word."

"But-"

"No! Don't. Say. A. Word."

Greg buried his face in Catherine's hair. "Don't let him hurt me."

"We won't."

"I know. I just needed to say it."

Lindsey and Sara returned to the hall. Lindsey put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips. "Oh, so I leave for a second and you replace me with each other?"

Sara and Catherine glanced at each other and laughed.

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

"All of them? Even Yelira?"

"Yes."

"I am so sorry, sir."

"Don't be, Santiago. I sent you away. It is not your fault that you survived. I have a job for you now."

"Anything, Acolmiztli, anything."

"It will be risky..."

"To avenge my brothers and sisters I will do whatever it takes."

"Visit Mr. Stokes' house. Before the CSIs get there. I can assure you it will be their next move."

"What should I do once I get there?"

"Boom."

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Grissom and Brass tried to keep everyone calm as they ushered everyone into Nick's house. Greg had half snapped out of his stupor, but he kept a tight grip on Nick's forearm.

"The basement's just this-"

A deafening explosion threw everyone back as the Nick's basement blew up.

"I..." Nick stammered, terrified. "I...I...wha...I..."

"Everyone, out, now!" Grissom bellowed. He pulled Lindsey onto his lap in the wheelchair and herded the panicking CSIs out with Brass' help. Warrick paused and turned.

"Greg?"

The young man was staring into the flames, an unreadable expression on his face.

_Steam. Flames. Acid. Burning, burning, burning! Everything burns, fire is bad! _

_He turns his back. The beaker explodes in a burst of light and sound and fire. Burns, burns all over his back. They never go away, the scars stay, they stay forever. _

"_There are several different types of burns, G. The most painful are flames, explosions, steam and acid burns. I wonder what happens when you put two together?" _

"_I wanted to be the one to tell you...Greg, I'm so sorry...There was this case...this beaker...Warrick and I thought it was poison. It was an accident...I blew up your lab. I'm so, so, sorry!" _

"_I fell in to a burning ring of fire! I went down, down, down and the flames went higher. And it burned, burned, burned. That ring of fire, that ring of fire!" _

"_And it burned, burned, burned. That ring of fire, that ring of fire!"_

"GREG!"

Greg blinked. He looked at Warrick, who was already half way out of the doors with the others.

"Come on, G." Nick urged.

Greg glanced at the advancing fire, and at his friends. He tried to move, but he felt frozen. That Bunsen burner that he had freaked out about suddenly didn't seem that bad.

"Greg." A voice said softly. His frightened eyes met Sara's. "Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?"

Everyone stared at Sara, but Greg relaxed ever so slightly.

"_Sara? What's wrong?" _

_Sara stared apprehensively at the small hospital for the clinically insane; about to work with Greg on what looked like a simple suicide. _

"_I visited someone in one of these as a kid. They freak me out."_

"_Oh. You know what I do when I get scared?"_

_Sara smiled apprehensively and put her hands on her hips. "What?" _

"_I sing." _

"_You sing?" _

"_Who's afraid of the big bad wolf, the big bad wolf, the big bad wolf?"_

_Sara laughed. _

_Greg winked at her. _

Greg shook his head and raced towards the door as they got out of the building.

"Uh, sorry, guys..." Greg smiled sheepishly. "But, thanks Sara."

"No problem." She grinned.

"Hang on!" Nick cried, suddenly realising something. "My house is on fire! All my stuff-"

"Nicky, the fire engines are already on their way, courtesy of that neighbour over there, I bet."

"Now where do we go?" Catherine asked, trying to keep the panic out of her voice as she held a shuddering Lindsey close.

"I know a place." Grissom said with a wan smile. "Somewhere that we'll be safe."

In half an hour, the group arrived at the Las Vegas crime lab. They headed straight for Grissom's currently abandoned office.

A gathering of lab techs appeared at the door and they were quickly updated.

"So let me get this straight." Hodges frowned. "You're coming here with massive targets on your back, relying on us to protect you and possibly putting us in danger along the way?" Everyone paused awkwardly. Usually this would be where Grissom gave the man an 'I-really-wish-it-wasn't-against-the-rules-to-slap-you' look, but Hodges had a point. Wendy looked from face to face, then at her watch and excused herself and Henry and Mandy, leaving Hodges, Archie and Bobby.

"Guys we can't-" Greg began, feeling guilty once Hodges pointed out that they were threatening the lab techs – his friends- but Hodges interrupted him, rolling his eyes.

"Finally!" Hodges grinned. "Finally they realise."

The CSIs frowned.

"What Hodges means is that we're happy to help." Archie clarified with a slight roll of the eyes.

A loud squeal erupted from the DNA lab. Everyone whirled round to see Wendy literally skipping down the hall with a piece of paper. Halfway to Grissom's office she added a little spin. "I DID IT!" she sang. Mandy's eyes lit up as she came out of the same room.

"We did it!"

Archie's face split into a massive grin. "It worked?"

"He gave it to us!" Henry cried happily. "It actually worked."

"I told you!" Hodges smirked. The lab techs frowned.

"Not that plan." Bobby explained. "Henry's plan."

"Oh."

"Wait, what's going on?" Grissom interrupted.

"We know who Acolmiztli is, where he lives and who his one remaining accomplice, if he has one, is."

Henry couldn't help but feel a little proud as the CSIs eyes bulged.

"Here is what we did..." Mandy began. "First, Wendy was running out of databases. So, Henry suggested the English MI6."

"I was kinda a James Bond fan when I was a kid." Henry admitted a little shyly. "We were grasping at straws..."

"So I called a friend, who has a cousin, whose sister in law's brother works for the British secret service." Wendy explained. "He was happy enough to help after I told him how many other places we tried. And, we got a hit! Dr. Oliver Thomas. PhD in ancient history. Wanted for murder, kidnapping and torture. However, he was only entered into their database because he double crossed them or something. They didn't want his secrets getting out. However now they don't hold any weight anymore so the guy said that we could keep jurisdiction."

"There are thousands of Oliver Thomas' and he probably changed his name." Grissom said wearily, but Mandy grinned.

"Which is where Henry's second idea comes in. We looked back at the photos; you know the creepy stalker ones. Now, I remember going to your house, Sara, and that window can only be seen by a wall, right?" Mandy continued herself. "Now we know, Sara, that you like your privacy, so, I sent Henry to the next apartment-"

"How?" Sara blurted.

"That _was_ Hodges idea." Henry sighed.

"It worked." Hodges defended.

"I had to pretend to be your brother. I said was looking around your apartment for clues as to where you were and when I opened the cage to feed your beloved gerbils they ran off through a hole into the next apartment." Henry explained. "The old lady next door was very nice. Scarpered long enough at the mention of 'gerbils' for me to take these."

He placed down some digital photographs of the wall directly across from Sara's apartment with varying levels of zoom. The most zoomed in showed a barely noticeable camera embedded in a brick.

"Fu- god's sake." Sara cursed, glancing at a slightly grinning Lindsey.

"It was recently renovated, so Archie hacked onto the building's blueprints from the construction company and then Bobby managed to work out which apartment it was. So then I called the apartment manager and asked about that apartment after -"

"He just gave you the information?" Catherine asked Mandy incredulously.

"Well...I may have said that I was you."

"Me?"

"As in, Catherine Willows, deputy supervisor of the Graveyard Shift at CSI."

Nick blinked deliberately at Mandy. "Catherine? Is that you?"

She laughed, proud of her uncanny impersonation of her boss.

"That's creepy." Lindsey grinned. "You sound just like mom!"

"It's a gift." Mandy winked. "I know it was wrong but we were kinda desperate. So, the guy that lived there was called Thomas Oliver. He has no record, but here is where it gets interesting. We ran a background check."

Archie took over on cue. "Thomas Oliver was supposedly of a victim of a fire thirty years ago, so he never leaves home without a hoody and balaclava to hide the scars."

"Or tattoos." Brass muttered.

Archie nodded and continued. "The neighbours don't find it suspicious – they pity him. Years ago, around the time of the fire, he adopted eight teenagers – twins Anya and Alexa Frost with their brothers Aaron and Andy Frost, an English boy named Charlie Morris, and three other boys, Jason Upton, Kyle Hamming and Diego Santiago."

"Through fingerprints, I identified, Anya as 'Yelira', Alexa as 'Victoria', Morris as 'Jack', not much surprise there...Hamming was 'Heracles', and Upton was 'Itzli'." Mandy explained.

"I checked out the other three boys. The Frost brothers were kicked out when Andy, the younger, turned 16, apparently for 'uncontrollable behaviour', though their next foster families both disagreed, and said they were 'outstanding, well behaved boys'." Archie explained. "Aaron now lives in Rio, he's a priest. Hasn't left South America in twelve years. Andy married a woman called Melissa Harley, and _he _took _her _name. He has had little contact with his sisters, and none seemingly with Oliver, and is currently in Hawaii on business, due back tomorrow. Diego Santiago, however...Two hours after the photos were sent to the lab, Santiago was on a plane to Mexico. He got back yesterday. Guess who the first person he called was?"

Grissom closed his eyes and pinched his nose. "That explains why Acol- Oliver-waited until today to make his move, he was alone."

"He adopted eight teenagers? Sheesh." Catherine shook her head.

"I'll get PD over there ASAP." Brass said, making himself known. "Good job." He nodded at the lab techs. Greg burst into laughter as the detective left.

Nick looked at him worriedly. "Greggo? Wanna share the joke?"

Greg just chuckled and looked at Henry. "You owe me a hundred bucks!"

Henry was completely pale. "It was a joke."

Archie sighed. "No it wasn't, Henry. Greg won." He handed Greg twenty dollars. "You just bet more than the rest of us."

"Henry bet that Brass would sooner bite his head off than acknowledge him doing something useful." Greg explained. "I won!"

Nick laughed, watching Greg cheering up. It was almost over.

An arm burst from nowhere and wrapped itself around Nick's neck. Nick gagged and tried to pry it off, only to feel a gun jammed into the side of his head.

"Nobody moves!" A slightly Spanish voice lilted in his ear. "Or the pigs will not be the only dead things in this office."

The others watched in horror as a man dressed all in black leapt out from behind one of Grissom's many cabinets and grabbed Nick. The gun held to his head was covered in blood already. The grip on his arm seemed ready to choke Nick and there was nothing anyone could do. They were helpless.

It was the last straw. The last bloody straw. Greg cracked. He glanced at Lindsey, the only person behind Nick, and the man he presumed to be Diego Santiago. Her fingers were curled around something. His eyes widened as they met hers. An understanding passed between the two of them.

Greg let out all of the fear, horror and rage inside of him with a loud, long bloodcurdling roar that used every muscle in his body.

"Quiet!" Santiago snapped. When the noise continued, he screamed himself. "SILENCE!"

Nick struggled with the man as hard as he could. A single gunshot rang through the crime lab. Nick fell to the floor. Lindsey burst into tears and ran to her mother's arms.

"Nicky!" Catherine and Sara screamed.

"NO!" Warrick, Grissom and Greg bellowed.

"I-I-I-I-I'm so-so-sorry mo-mo-mom-my!" the young teen sobbed into her mother's chest. "I k-k-k-killed him!"

Blood pooled over Nick's torso. He seemed to have dragged his attacker down as he fell, but the Spaniard was stirring. A scary amount of blood poured by Nick's side

Nick pushed the man's limp arm off of his neck, looking at the single through and through wound caused by the spare gun Lindsey had found in Grissom's draw penetrating through the man's chest

"Okay...that was too close." He breathed, staring at his attackers blood staining his white shirt. He looked up at Lindsey, the gun shaking in her hand.

He stood up shakily.

"I ha-ha-had to or he'd k-k-kill yo-you." Nick held up his hand smiled sadly at the girl. "I...thought I hit you." She sobbed. He gave his surrogate mom's daughter tight in his arms.

"Thank you, Lindsey, for saving my life. I know the feeling, it sucks!" Nick felt tears pricking his eyes.

Lindsey nodded. "You're welcome."

Warrick kicked the tall man, who groaned. Warrick snatched the gun out of his hand and grasped the back of his neck.

"How the hell did you get in here?"

The man didn't talk.

"Where is Oliver?" Warrick hissed. The man spat in his face. Warrick recoiled and stood up.

Sara frowned and started to stem the bleeding. "We need him alive. We need him to talk."

"How the hell did he get in here?" Grissom said angrily, looking at the lab techs.

"The window..." Greg whispered. They raced to the back window. Like Sara's bedroom, it backed onto an alleyway. There was a drainpipe next to Grissom's window.

"Damn it! Stay alive you asshole!" Sara spat as the man stopped breathing. Archie stared at the face.

"Shit."

"What?" Everyone asked.

"That's not Diego Santiago. I spent two hours staring at his picture, I would know."

"So he's still out there?" Nick asked in horror. Greg picked up a piece of paper in the man's pocket.

He swallowed. "I am so sick of being scared." He thrust the paper into Grissom's hands.

Grissom read it quickly. _See you soon, G. Thinking of you. A._

"Let's get this son of a bitch." Greg growled.

**Sorry for the wait. I hope your still there. Are you? What do you think? Worth the wait? Absolute rubbish? I always have time to read reviews ;) **


	33. Chapter 32

**Thanks so much to those lovely people who reviewed! As Abby Scutio said once on NCIS "I am hugging you all in my mind right now!" Okay, peeps. Majorly long chapter here, sorry if it's not your thing. I went a little over my normal chapter length on this one but hey ho...**

**Read. Enjoy. Review.**

**Chapter Thirty Two**

He sipped at his drink. "Interesting question."

Santiago waited patiently for his father and boss to answer.

"Well, Heracles hated him. Victoria quite liked him, but Heracles despised him, especially when he escaped. Then he killed Jack..."

"Wait, Sanders killed Jack?" Santiago sat up.

Acolmiztli half nodded. "Indirectly."

"What happened?" Santiago asked in horror.

"Well, it was Jack's turn with the boy next. He seemed completely broken – begged Heracles to kill him. It was interesting to watch, and his friends were heartbroken...It later turned out that he had used his life as a distraction to steal a key from Heracles."

"Wasn't that a little risky?"

"He said that it would be worth it if we sent his body to Grissom who could use trace off the corpse to find his friends."

"He sounds like more of a man than he seems." Santiago remarked. "What happened next?"

"We were distracted...that child, Yelira's niece, she was found. Her mother told them the license plate. Then a patrolman found the car, called it in. Itzli dealt with him but Grissom and Brass arrived minutes later. They began to search without back up and were forced to separate, and Grissom found his people just as they escaped the room. They got a little way away before Jack found them and we made chase..."

"And?"

"They split into pairs. Jack and Heracles followed Sanders and Stokes... It was quite astounding how fast they managed to run in the conditions they were in. What also impressed me was the huge protective instinct that Stokes had regarding Sanders."

"Are they gay?"

"No, it's nothing like that. No, Stokes is the youngest of seven children. My theory is that he almost adopted Sanders and Sidle as his younger siblings. Although saying that they are all very protective over the boy, even Grissom."

"Sanders is the baby of the group." Santiago nodded. "But carry on."

"I watched from the observatory. Stokes and Sanders ended up in the seventh bedroom, and got trapped in. Stokes saw the trapdoor and poked his head up, then sent Sanders up first. Heracles arrived, and managed to pull Stokes down. He stuck a knife into the man's arm and still Stokes told Sanders to run. It didn't work - he was too soft to run. He came back down, Heracles pinned Stokes to the floor through his arm. Stokes knew that even if he could pull the knife out he would bleed to death. So Heracles pulled Sanders onto the bed, punched him in the head but saved his face. Jack arrived...started to pull down Sanders' underwear."

Santiago savoured the image for a while. "Did he get a go?"

"Unfortunately Stokes' protective instinct was greater than we ever imagined. He drew the knife from his own arm and stabbed Jack in the heart. I did more research while you were gone that confirmed my theory that he has been raped before himself, you could tell by the look in his eyes. We can use that now to our own advantage, I didn't know before."

"Definitely." Santiago growled. "I'd be happy to do the both of them."

"We will see."

"I understand now. Why you hate Sanders so much. Though he does seem fun to play with."

"Oh he is. And this time I will be joining in the games myself."

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

"Hi this is Molly Mitchell-Jones, how can I help you."

"_Hello, Ms. Mitchell-Jones. My name is Santiago." _

"Can I help you?"

"_I think so. Do you know a man called Tyler Jones?" _

"Is this a trick question? That's my husband. Who is this?"

"_Ms. Mitchell, do you know a man called Nicholas James Stokes?" _

"Nick Stokes? Yes, but I haven't seen him since he was about ten, why?"

"_I know what you did." _

Molly's blood ran cold. She stared fearfully at the door leading to the basement, wondering if she should move their treasures. "I have no idea what you're talking-"

"_I found the video and made a positive identity of you, Stokes and Jones." _

"How?" Molly whispered. They had lived happy, model-citizen lives for the past twenty odd years. No one in Texas, or their new hometown of Las Vegas had any idea of their weekend habits, apart from their porn suppliers. Even the sister of their first victim was still good friends with the Mitchell-Jones.

"_My friends and I are very interested in Nick's past. We hacked onto your husband's computer." _

"Why Tyler?"

"_We have our reasons."_

"Why did you look at us?"

"_I will explain if you agree to listen to us for a while."_

"Okay..."

"_We checked out his parents and nanny and they were clean so we looked up any other babysitters." _

"Why did you want to know who-"

"_Are you still into that sort of thing?" _

"Who is this? Are you the police?" Molly asked suspiciously.

"_Can I meet you?" _

"I..."

"_Because I'm knocking on your door." _

Molly jumped as the door knocked. She picked up her .22 and opened the door. A tall Spanish looking man was standing in a black coat and sunglasses.

"Get in." She hissed, showing him her gun.

He nodded and stepped in, allowing her to pat him down.

"Okay. What do you want?"

The man took off his sunglasses and looked her straight in the eye. "We want to hurt Stokes. As much as possible."

"Why?"

"He killed my brother."

"Really?" Molly motioned for the man to come and sit in the living room, her gun still pointing at his heart."

"Yes." Santiago swallowed. "We want to hurt him and his friends. And I was wondering if you wanted to help. You and your husband."

Molly bit her lip. "What's in it for me?"

"A lot..."

By the time he had finished, Molly's grin spread from ear to ear.

"So when do I begin?"

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

"They moved." Brass growled to the CSIs. "But they left a lot." He threw a large evidence bag full of pictures onto the table.

Greg swallowed and gritted his teeth at the sketch on top. It was a picture of Greg, naked, complete with burns and wounds. His face was contorted in fear and pain, and his head was on a spike that also impaled his chest.

Nick gripped a chair. "Greg-"

"I'm fine." Greg hissed.

Grissom glanced at both of them. "Okay, they have to be somewhere, don't panic."

"Nick," Archie called. He popped his head around the door. "You have a visitor."

Nick sighed and followed Archie to reception. A woman in a wheelchair with long, curly red hair was sat tapping her fingernails against the armrest, looking anxiously around.

Nick froze, and Archie wondered if he should have asked who the woman was, but then Nick grinned widely. "MJ!" he called.

The woman turned and wheeled towards Nick with a smile. "Nicky!"

They hugged tightly, and Nick kissed her cheeks. "Archie, this is Mary-Jane, she's my older sister."

"Oh, hi." Archie nodded. Mary-Jane smiled and turned back to her brother.

"Nick, I'm sorry I didn't make it when you were in hospital." She frowned. "None of the stupid airlines will take the short notice; I took the first flight that I could." She spotted the look on Archie's face and explained. "The stupid wheelchair. I was in a car crash when I was 13, with Nick, and a couple of our other siblings. I got paralysed, for life, but I'm kinda used to it now."

Archie nodded. "It was really nice meeting you, but I got to get back to work."

"Okay." Mary-Jane smiled sweetly, and Nick directed her into the break room.

Once she got in, her face dropped and became completely serious as he sat next to her.

"How you holding up, kiddo?" She asked.

"MJ..."

"Nicky. I'm almost six years older than you-"

"I know."

"Nick. Apart from you, I'm the baby. You're _my _baby brother, Nick. And when you were missing, I couldn't eat. I couldn't sleep, rest, work..." she wiped her eye angrily. "I want to know how you are. I know that there are still people out to get you Nick, and I'm scared."

"I..." Nick swallowed and glanced around. "I'm scared, too. But, I'm also scared for my friends. Greg, Jesus he's just a kid, MJ. I mean he's not dumb; in fact he's probably a lot smarter than me. But even after everything we've gone through, everything he's gone through he still has this innocence... I...I killed someone, MJ..."

Mary-Jane took Nick's hand as he continued. "I took the knife from here," he held his hand to his shoulder. "And I stabbed it straight in his heart..."

"Why?" MJ whispered, softly.

"He was going to...to r...he was going to hurt Greg. Badly." Nick looked at his sister and she covered her hand with her mouth as she understood exactly what he meant. "And his friend...his adopted brother...he did that to Sara. He hurt Sara in ways that...you can't imagine."

"And you can?" Mary-Jane's heart dropped as Nick didn't meet her eyes. She put her hand on his chin and forced him to look at her like she did when they were little and he was keeping secrets. "Nicky, they didn't..."

"They didn't. No..." Nick shook his head and took his sisters hand. "MJ, they didn't do that to me."

"Then who did?" Mary-Jane whispered.

"No one, MJ, I just, I see it a lot." Nick lied.

She shook her head. "You point out these assholes to me and I will kick their asses to Texas so the others can get their licks in too."

Nick rolled his eyes and eyeballed the chair. "You can't."

She pushed him. "Fine. I will _run over _him and then stick then in a body bag and a FedEx box and mail them to Texas. Happy?"

"Very." Nick smiled at MJ. "Thanks for coming..."

"I have another, ulterior motive. Bobby gave me this." She opened her bag and pulled out a piece of paper.

"What's this?" he frowned.

"A phone number." She frowned. "About a month before any of this happened, according to Robert, when he was giving copies of that photo Dad told me about, this guy phoned up and said he was doing an article about the kids that came out of our old high school. He wondered if he had any of his whole family. Robert met him in a cafe, said that he showed him papers, and they looked legit. You know that Bobby is a stupidly trusting person..."

"He gave him the photo."

"Yes. This is the number of the guy that took the photo."

"Thanks MJ but I don't think it will be useful."

"Not his phone number. The license plate to his car."

Nick stared at the paper. "MJ I love you!"

"I know!" MJ smiled.

"ARCHIE!" Nick yelled, and Mary-Jane shook her head, laughing. Her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"_Hello, is that Mary-Jane?" _

"Yeah, why?"

"_Hiya girlfriend, its Molly!" _

"Oh, hi Molly. How you doing?"

"_Great, MJ, just great. I heard that you were in Vegas, and my husband and I were wondering if you'd like to come for dinner later on, maybe about seven?"_

Mary-Jane smiled. "Sure, that'd be great."

"_So what brings you to town? On the phone Susie just mentioned it in passing and then her boys started playing up before I could ask more."_

"Remember Nick, my kid brother you babysat that time?"

"_Of course I do! He was so sweet, such a nice kid!" _

"Well, he's a CSI here in Vegas." Mary-Jane said proudly.

"_Really? Wow, it seems like only yesterday he was nine years old." _

"Anyway, did you hear about those kidnapped CSIs, the ones that escaped a month or so ago? Well that was Nicky and his friends. I caught the first flight I could, but thanks to the stupid chair it wasn't until last night."

"_Aw, no! Poor Nick! And poor you! Are you okay? Where are you staying, with Nick?"_

"No, I got a motel room."

"_Well, you have to stay at ours, doll! We got plenty of room." _

"Oh I couldn't-"

"_Sure you could. I love having visitors, Tyler works all day and it gets a little lonely." _

"Well, one night's not gonna kill anyone." Mary-Jane grinned. "I'll see you at seven. I have your address. Bye Mols."

Nick came back in the room grinning like a mad thing and spun his sister's wheelchair round. "MJ, we found the car! Cops will be at it in minutes!"

"That's great!" She grinned, before frowning. "Stop, spinning, Nick, I'm dizzy. And pregnant."

"What?" Nick gasped. "MJ that's amazing!"

They talked for a while, then an exhausted looking Greg came into the break room.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't know your visitor was still here, Nick. I'll see you-"

"Greggo, get your skinny little ass in here." Nick laughed. "This is MJ, my pregnant sister."

"Ah, so this is the famous Greg Sanders?" MJ asked, and Greg looked at Nick.

"Yup." Nick nodded as Greg shook MJ's hand and sat down. Suddenly Greg passed Nick something. Nick stared at Sara's phone, and Greg shrugged with a cheeky grin.

"Hey, I needed cheering up."

Sara's half irritated, half amused voice yelled down the hall. "Greg, where the hell is my cell phone?"

As Sara entered the break room MJ clapped her hands slightly.

"Oh, God, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." Sara apologised, Lindsey at her heels. "Greg, where is my cell phone?"

Mary-Jane threw a small object at Sara, who caught it gratefully.

"MJ!" Nick and Greg whined at the same time. MJ laughed.

"Jesus, you're both like children! What would mama say, Nick? Pranking women in the workplace." She shook her head. "I'm MJ, Nick's sister."

"Pregnant sister." Greg interjected with a know-it-all nod.

"Oh hi!" Sara smiled, walking into the room. "This is Lindsey Willows; I'm Sara, Sara Sidle."

"Nice to finally meet you!" MJ smiled.

"Guys, if you actually care, we've almost got them." Sara grinned, and Nick ruffled Greg's hair.

"See, we'll be okay!"

"Nick! Off hair _now!" _Greg batted Nick's hand away.

MJ laughed loudly. "Talk about role reversal."

"Really?" Sara asked, sitting next to MJ.

"Hell yeah!" she giggled. "Ethan was always ruffling Nick's hair like that. Nick hated it. Said it would mess up his hair."

"What was Nick like as a kid?" Greg asked, looking at Nick out of the corner of his eye.

"Don't even think-"

"Well, when he was about two, he loved those baby dolls, y'know? He'd take mine and parade round the house with 'em. Robert swore he'd grow up gay, but then he got into guns. When he was five he would arrest imaginary criminals, teddy bears, baby dolls..."

"Stop it, Mary-Jane..." Nick warned, going bright red.

"Remember that time you tried to arrest the baby cow?"

Nick snorted. "That's not something you forget."

"What did the baby cow do to deserve being arrested?" Greg raised his eyebrows. "Didn't it plead being a baby non-human?"

"He tramped all over my den." Nick defended.

MJ rolled her eyes. "He wasn't very happy when you tried to handcuff him..."

Greg, Lindsey and Sara roared with laughter as MJ told them the story of Nick and the baby cow.

Catherine watched happily from the door and as Warrick made to enter the break room she held out her arm. "Just wait..."

Warrick smiled at the sight. "I remember when it was like this every day. Well, every day we weren't all about to pass out from exhaustion or working a tough case."

"Yeah." Catherine sighed, and they joined the happy group.

Ten minutes later, MJ excused herself as it was six o'clock and she had somewhere to be at seven. Nick walked her to the elevator and then joined the others in the break room.

"I love your sister, Nicky." Greg grinned. "She has great stories."

"Yeah, yeah." Nick muttered, grabbing Greg in a headlock and rubbing his head roughly.

"Ow, Nick!" he complained.

"Cut it out, guys." Catherine chuckled. They fell apart, both grinning.

"I have to admit, though, MJ's the best." Nick nodded, and the story telling began again.

Grissom wheeled in. "Brass called. The car's MIA."

"Damn it!" Greg swore, kicking at a chair.

"Okay, okay, it's going to be okay." Catherine held out her palms. "We're gonna be okay."

Sara nodded. "There is no way that they can grab us all from the crime lab."

"Could they grab one of you?" Lindsey asked, her face pale.

"No." Greg said firmly. "Never again."

Nick jumped a foot in the air, and five hands flew to their gun holsters.

"Sorry, my phone's buzzing." Nick admitted sheepishly.

Greg rolled his eyes. "Jumping at the stupid things is my job, Nick."

Nick rolled his own eyes and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"_Nick?" _

"Who is this?"

"_Molly." _

Nick frowned. "Molly who?"

"_Molly Mitchell." _

His blood ran cold and he snapped the phone shut. "Wrong number."

Everyone frowned at him and his phone rang again.

"Are you going to answer that, Nick?" Sara frowned.

Reluctantly Nick picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"_You hang up on me again, Nicky, and I will tell everyone what happened to you." _

"Why would you go do something like that?"

"_Because I want to talk to you." _

"Why?" Nick swallowed, trying not to look afraid.

"_Did you know that Tyler and I are married? We live in Vegas now. Just a couple of blocks down from you as it happens." _

"What do you want?"

"_Well, as you know I'm good friends with your sister, Mary-Jane. In fact she came around for tea tonight, but she got in a spot of bother. I'm sure that you of all people can confirm that being kidnapped is no fun." _

"What the hell are you talking about?" Nick stumbled back against a chair, and Greg, Sara and Catherine stood up.

"_Well, MJ was my friend. But then this guy came and said his name was Santiago and he offered me a lot of stuff to get Tyler to tie up your big sister and chuck her in the cellar. He said that he'd be down to see her later, but that Tyler and I could do what we want with her first. Now I prefer kids, and so does Tyler, but we make exceptions ." _

"What?" Nick cried, startling everyone. "N-n-n-o, leave her alone she didn't do anything-"

"_Oh, I know. One of the best parts about doing kids is breaking the innocence. Like I did to you Nicky." _

Nick's face was stark white. "Nick, what's going on? Who's on the phone?" Catherine urged.

He swallowed and mouthed, "My babysitter."

The others frowned, but Catherine covered her mouth in horror.

"What will it take for you to leave her alone?"

"_You and Greg, alone in the desert at the Victorian manor. He said you would know the place." _

"No, no, no, leave Greg out of it!" Nick cried.

"_No can do, Nicky. Santiago says see you at midnight." _

The phone went dead and Nick dropped into a chair.

"Nicky, what's going on?" Catherine asked.

Nick looked straight at her. "She's in Vegas...with her husband...the one who..." He shuddered. "they have MJ, Santiago paid them..."

"Who is, Nick?" Grissom urged.

Nick looked at Catherine. "You have to tell them Nicky. At least a little."

"There's more. More than I told you." Nick's eyes filled with tears.

"What do they want?" Sara frowned.

Nick looked up. "She said me and Greg at the mansion at midnight."

"Not happening." Warrick shook his head.

"I know, it's nothing to do with Greg, but I-"

"No." Catherine put her hand on Nick's leg.

"My sister-"

"Wouldn't want you to do it. Listen, Nick, we'll get cops around to _her _house just give me a name." Catherine urged.

Nick sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Molly Mitchell, Tyler Jones. They may be married now, I don't know."

"Wait for me if you want." Catherine squeezed Nick's arm and raced off.

Within minutes she was back. "Uniforms on their way to the house of Molly and Tyler Mitchell-Jones. "

Nick nodded.

"Who are they?" Grissom asked. When Nick hesitated, Grissom frowned. "Lindsey, Sara, Greg, Warrick, will you wait here for a while whilst Cath, Nicky and I go to my office."

Nick nodded gratefully and followed his two superiors into Grissom's office, leaving the others confused and worried.

He took a deep breath, deciding to try and get it over and done with as soon as possible. "When we had that case with the therapist, rebirthing thing and I snapped at Cath...She asked me why."

"I remember." Grissom said softly. "She wouldn't tell me what you said."

Nick tried to smile gratefully at Catherine but he couldn't so he swallowed instead. "I told her that when I was nine...my babysitter...she...well. She said we would play a game...took my trousers of..." Nick shook his head and steeled himself. "What I didn't tell her was that she touched me and left it there. Her boyfriend was the one who...who..."

Nick just shuddered and closed his eyes.

"Oh, Jesus, Nicky." Grissom breathed.

"Apparently they've being doing it ever since. I...I couldn't ever tell anyone. They told me they'd do it to my mom and sisters if I told anyone and I was too damn cowardly to do anything about it." Tears trailed dismally down Nick's cheeks. "I keep thinking that there're little boys out there that have been hurt and violated since then by those two...and now I'm a CSI there's no excuse, but..."

Catherine hugged Nick tightly as he sobbed bitterly.

"Now they have my sister..."

"And we're going to get her back, Nicky. Just wait."

Nick shook his head, and someone knocked softly from the door. They looked up to see Sara standing there holding an envelope. "This just came for you. A twelve year old delivered it for ten bucks. We took the money, gave him twenty instead."

Nick took the envelope and slid out a picture of Mary-Jane, stubbornly glaring at the camera, tied to a bed, gag in her mouth. Nick made a noise like he'd been punched.

"She's pregnant." He whispered. "Two months..."

"Okay...okay..." Grissom massaged his temples. "I know what to do."

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

Acolmiztli and Santiago watched from the shadows as Nick and Greg nervously entered the mansion. Only one car had arrived, and the engine was dull and quiet.

"G, I want you to run. I told you to stay in the damn car!" Nick whispered loudly.

"Blah, blah, blah, Nicky. I left you to die; the least I can do is try and help your sister." Greg returned nervously.

Tyler stepped out of the shadows, looming over the two men, who both stepped backwards. "You came."

"Yes. Where's MJ?"

"Alone?"

"Yes." Nick repeated. "Where's MJ?"

"Now why would you risk this kid's neck for your sister?"

"He didn't." Greg piped up. "I hid in the back of the car. He didn't know I was here until we came into the drive."

"Now why would you do that, kid?" Tyler asked.

"Because Nick needed my help. I wasn't gonna let him come alone."

"So he's willing to risk you but not his sister?" Tyler chuckled over Greg and Nick's protests.

"It's good to see you again." Acolmiztli called, still not revealing himself. It sent shivers of thrill and excitement down his spine to see Greg involuntarily duck behind Nick at the sound of his voice.

"You know, sir..." Tyler grinned. "You're right. This one's enough of a kid for me." He pointed at Greg, and Nick growled angrily.

"You leave him out of this!"

"Says who, Stokes? Every time I think of you I remember you as a kid, too. Nine years old, wasn't it?"

Greg glanced at Nick, confused. Nick had never told the others who the Mitchell-Jones couple were, only that Molly was friends with MJ from Texas and that they were criminals and MJ didn't know.

"Shut up." Nick warned, pulling a gun to Tyler's head.

"You really want to do that before you see your sister?"

Nick's hand wavered and he lowered the gun.

"Okay, Mr. Stokes, here's the deal." Acolmiztli announced. "Mr. Sanders walks over to that bed over there, your sister goes free. Simple as."

Greg nodded slightly and walked over, quaking slightly as Tyler followed him. Outside, a car started.

"Look out of the window."

Nick obeyed and saw MJ in the back of a car being driven away by Molly. He gritted his teeth.

"See? Now she's safe. I bet you haven't told dear little Mr. Sanders who is standing behind him, though, have you?"

Greg glanced up at the man, before staring at Nick. Any second now...

"Don't move." An icy voice hissed in Santiago's ear, and he felt a cold metal silencer against the back of his neck. He froze, and raised his hands into the air.

Sara Sidle slipped a gag into Santiago's mouth and handcuffed him to the stair rail, pistol whipping him for good measure. At the same time, Catherine Willows kicked out Acolmiztli's legs from beneath him, and Warrick Brown burst through the door holding a large gun.

"What the hell?" Tyler spat, wrapping his arm around Greg's neck and pulling the younger man forward to protect his body. "You called the damn cops? That's it! I'm outta here. Anyone tries to come after me and I'll kill the kid."

"I'm. Not. A. KID!" Greg yelled, driving his foot back into Tyler's groin. The large man groaned and let go of Greg, who stumbled back and was supported by Nick. Sirens sounded in the near distance, as the police cars positioned down the road roared into action.

Tyler raised his hands in the air as he watched Acolmiztli be handcuffed by a triumphant Catherine. Suddenly, he made to lunge for Greg but instead grabbed Nick and shook him roughly.

"Get off me!" Nick struggled, but Tyler held the man close to his body, shielding as he had done with Greg, but steeling himself against the blows.

Nick felt ill just touching the man, bur he almost threw up when he started talking.

"Did little Nicky ever tell you how he knew me and my wife?" he asked tauntingly. Greg, Warrick and Sara exchanged glances, and Catherine went bright red.

"Shut your sick mouth!" she yelled angrily.

"He doesn't need to." Greg added. "It doesn't matter. If he doesn't want to tell us he doesn't have to."

"Cute, kid. Did you know that Nicky was so sweet when he was nine years old? When Molly babysat him. He was our first. Victim, I suppose you would call it."

The room was silent.

"Didn't anyone tell you? We're 'paedophiles'. 'Child molesters'. 'Rapists'. And it all began with one scared little Stokes."

"Shut...up!" Nick struggled, blinking away tears, struggling against the man.

Greg and Sara looked stunned. They stood, lifeless, just staring. Warrick was... nowhere.

Nick tried to look for his best friend, but suddenly he was flying backwards through the air.

Warrick felt sick. Physically, violently nauseous. There was only one thing to do. When Tyler's attention was focused on Nick, he snuck around behind Tyler and yanked the man's head back violently.

Tyler let go of Nick with shock as he fell and Nick landed a few feet away. Warrick slammed his fist into Tyler's face before smashing his foot into the man's groin and handcuffing him.

"You asshole. You sick, pathetic, twisted asshole." He hissed as the police and SWAT raced in, headed by Grissom and Brass.

SWAT cleared the mansion for people, bombs, and drugs and came out clean, and the bewildered CSIs headed out. Nick couldn't look at anyone. He had known what might have been coming...but...

"Nicky..." Catherine whispered, hugging him tightly. Greg came up and put his hand on Nick's shoulder.

"It's okay, Nick. It's okay, now. They're gone..." he murmured.

As Nick broke the embrace with Catherine and wiped his eyes, Sara went in for a wordless hug, followed by Greg and Warrick.

Grissom walked shakily without the wheelchair, but walked all the same. "We got it all the video on Greg's shirt. You shouldn't have to testify." He looked at Nick when he spoke, and finally hugged the younger CSI himself. "We got them, Nicky, we got them."

Nick nodded and hugged Grissom back. He looked at the row of police cars and saw exactly what he was looking for.

"MJ!" he called, spotting her red hair. She turned in the back of the car, and covered her mouth in relief.

"Nicky!" She cried. He raced over and hugged his sister tightly.

"Oh my god, MJ I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" Nick's eyes were leaking tears again.

"I heard everything." She whispered, a haunted look in her eyes. "They were... I thought they were my friends! Why didn't you tell me, Nick? God, how could they have...Oh, Jesus, Nicky!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"Don't!" She sobbed, pulling her baby brother towards her. "Don't, oh god...None of this is your fault...I'm just so sorry to have been friends with them all this time...What the hell sort of sister am I?"

"The best sort? Did they...they..."

"No, Nicky, no. They took the picture then shoved my in the car. I'm fine...But you..." Both Stokes siblings had tear filled eyes when the others arrived a few minutes later.

"We have to all get to hospital. Check up." Greg said softly. "Are you okay?"

MJ nodded at him, smiling. "Thank you so much. You didn't have to risk that for me. You could've gone in SWAT first instead of risking your lives..."

"Nah...Nicky wanted to go alone but that sure as hell wasn't happening." Greg waved his hand. "So, Warrick, being the least claustrophobic but the biggest, hid in the car boot, and Sara and Cath took a leaf out of Acolmiztli's book and hid in the car seats for the last five minutes of the journey."

"Clever." MJ nodded as paramedics loaded her into the first ambulance. "I'll see you soon, Nicky!" she smiled and he nodded. Catherine ruffled Nick's hair playfully and Nick smiled softly.

Grissom smiled at each member of his team, happier than he could remember ever being before. But, he realised, they weren't so much a team anymore. They had seen each other, exposed, half naked, tortured. They knew each other's deepest secrets. They had risked their lives for each other, even when the hope seemed minimal.

"You know..." Grissom thought out loud. "We're not really a team anymore..."

Everyone looked at him as he vocalised something that they never thought he would say.

"We're a family."

**OH MY GOD! IT'S NEARLY DONE! ALL THAT's LEFT IS THE EPILOUGE. Oh, I has a major sad. **

**This story has been such a journey and has taken up so much time...I think it's worth it, what about you? **

**Please review my last ever proper chapter – how was it? Too long, too boring? **

**So, after the epilogue, we're done. **


	34. Epilogue

**Okay, we've reached the end :'( Im so sorry this took so long. I agonised over it for ages like you have no idea. I hope you think its okay (I have never finished a story before so, yeah.) **

**Epilogue # Five years later#**

Everything had changed during the two year trial that had only ended a week ago, the lawyers having prepared for it for three years. The press leapt on the opportunity to expose the twisted

story with the shocks and turns that the defence and prosecution revealed along the way.

They all had to testify, but with Tyler's confession caught on police camera added to the video of

Tyler and Molly abusing Nick all those years ago safely in evidence, Nick hadn't had to talk about

the original crime. Tyler and Molly got twenty-five to life each for child abuse, child porn, statutory

rape of a minor(s), aiding and abetting and kidnapping. Santiago got conspiracy to commit murder,

conspiracy to kidnap, blackmail, and kidnapping. He got twelve years.

Acolmiztli was a different matter. His lawyer pleaded insanity, but he calmly stated that he was very

sane. After a long and sticky mess, the CSIs could finally relax as Acolmiztli aka Thomas Oliver aka Dr.

Oliver Thomas was convicted of murder, torture, conspiracy, kidnapping, blackmail, harassment and

breaking and entering. He was given the death penalty.

Warrick and Tina divorced a year after they escaped, after she gave birth to their son, and with the

help of his friends Warrick won full custody of Eli. Catherine helped him with being a single working

parent, and Lindsey was delighted with her baby 'cousin' who shared her nanny while their parents

worked. Eli was four years old and loved playing football and baseball with his dad and 'Uncle' Nick

and 'Uncle Greg'. He could already swing better than Greg.

Mary-Jane and her husband Jonny became firm friends with the other CSIs, who were saddened to

hear about her losing the baby, but surprised and happy when they found out that by some strange

stroke of luck she was carrying twins and one survived. She named the baby girl Eva, and she and Eli,

being the same age, became inseparable.

Nick was so touched when a reporter Emily Greek, daughter of the head of prosecution in the trial,

came up to him and apologised meekly for the pain her father was causing by interrogating them so

much that he took her out to dinner. They hit it off right away, and everyone else seemed to love

her. He didn't realise until after he proposed that Catherine, Sara, Warrick and Greg had all phoned

her up to warn her not to break his heart. He was horrified and felt like the baby of the family again,

but Emily found it amusing.

Catherine went around with a new look on the world and didn't take anything for granted, spending

more and more time with Lindsey, shopping or watching films. A lot of the time Sara came with

them, and if Lindsey had a problem that she wouldn't talk to her mom about she ran straight to

Sara. Catherine made it her job to look after everyone even more than before, making sure nobody

worked too much overtime, everybody had enough of a social life and that nobody messed with

her 'kids'.

Sara became lighter and more open, since she didn't feel like she had to hide all the time. She went

about her job with more sympathy and passion, but also with a greater ability to push down her

emotions. She flirted more openly and went out more and was always playing Greg on the X-box

or the brand new Wii that Day-shift had bought the CSIs as a welcome back to work gift, with a big

note saying "Have fun. Leave ours alone! :p" She said that she realised how much there was that

she wanted to do and that she was going to do it now, and she did. By the end of the first year she'd

taken the days off when she was given them and used them to go paragliding, abseiling, dance

lessons, scuba diving and dating several different guys, the most recent of which she thought could

be Mr. Right.

Greg had become more serious, yet he stubbornly kept some of the childishness within him. He

began spiking his hair up more again, playing loud music when he was working in the lab and

playing more and more practical jokes on his co-workers. It had taken him the longest to return

to 'normal' but he got there. He and Sara were best friends, and she chased off three different girls

that she recognised as being no good. He was currently single and happy to be, not feeling like he

was missing out on a thing. He was perfectly happy with life since he went around 'dephobiarising'

himself as he put it. The others had been very confused when he volunteered to join the fire

department for a few months on the weekends, and he always walked past wrestling clubs until he

stopped flinching when a larger man walked past.

Grissom was debatably the most changed of the lot. He was still a workaholic, but he got out more,

and after encouragement from Catherine, Sara, Nick, Warrick, Greg and even Brass he started to

create more of a social life for himself. He also looked out for his employees including the lab techs,

sending anyone who looked too tired or overworked home and making sure he supported them

during tough cases.

In many ways, they were happy, but even five years on they still dealt with some of the

repercussions. Greg still had vivid nightmares and Nick's claustrophobia would sometimes rise with

a vengeance. Sara carried her gun with her whenever she went out alone, and on a dark night she

would cross the street if there was a man or group of men on the other side. Catherine was very

protective over Lindsey to the point where she irritated herself, but she couldn't bring herself to

relax. Warrick was desperate that Eli didn't turn out like Cayden, and although the four year old was

happy, bubbly and kind, Warrick still had nightmares about the creepy little boy.

They were haunted in many ways, but they were closer than ever, as a team and as friends. With a

stronger idea of each others' strengths and weaknesses, the crime solving rate visibly improved even

as the time each spent at work went down a little.

They never found out why they had been picked, and that made them a little paranoid, but the

knowledge that the people who hurt them were all gone helped a lot.

**CSIVCSIVCSIV**

"...and finally the news everyone is talking about... two convicted criminals have escaped from

two of Nevada's top security prisons. There has of yet been no sign of Diego Santiago or Dr. Oliver

Thomas, but the public are advised that they are very dangerous individuals... A cell mate of

Santiago claimed that the man is out for revenge...The individuals and families that this may concern

are being warned..."

A small group of people sat together staring at the sun rising over Lake Mead on Christmas Day

listening to the radio, until a man reached over and turned it off. "We don't need to listen. Not

today." Warrick shook his head, bringing Eli onto his lap.

"Kissmass. Pwesents?" Eli looked up at his dad hopefully with his thumb in his mouth.

"Ah, yeah, we got you presents, kiddo." Nick laughed. "They're in the car."

"Uncle Nick?"

"Yeah Eva?"

"Do I get presents?"

"It's Christmas, everyone gets presents. Well, except for Sara."

"Hey!" the brunette complained.

"Joy to the world, the presents come!" Greg sang with Lindsey. "Let kids receive their toys!"

"I'm pretty sure that those weren't the original lyrics." Catherine frowned.

"Meh. They're my lyrics." Greg shrugged.

Emily pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and bit her lip, staring at the radio. "What...what if they

do find you? They won't leave you alone just because it's Christmas..."

Nick wrapped his arms around his fiancée. "We're armed. And dangerous. Especially MJ, she could

give a mama bear a run for her money."

MJ rolled her eyes.

"If they come..." Grissom sighed. He looked at his assorted family, his gaze touching Sara and

Greg, Nick and Emily, MJ, Jonny and Eva, Warrick and Eli, Catherine and Lindsey and Jim Brass, and

thought about what each member would do to protect the others.

Grissom shook his head.

"If they come, God have mercy on their souls."

**So *sniff* it is done. The question is...to sequel or not to sequel? I left the ending in what I hope**

**could be either open for a sequel or a good close. What do you think?**

**Thanks so, so much to those people who have reviewed, in particular C.H.W.13 who reviewed**

**from the very beginning, Marymel and Lotzalove who were kind always reviewed straight away**

**and FezzesRCool because she is my best friend in real life and put up with my obsession with CSI**

**long enough to become a proud obsessee herself ;-) and also helped a lot with this fic.**

**I am very sad it is over, but I didn't want to drag out the end. The last time I ended a story I was**

**five, so sorry if I didn't do a good job...**

**Thanks so much to absolutely everyone who reviewed – you are my favourite people!**

**So, please drop a review and tell me what you think, I am considering a career in writing. Is it**

**feasible? Also, if you think I should/shouldn't write a sequel then tell me that too!**

**Also, anyone who fancies checking out anything else I've done, my story The Best I Ever had is just**

**getting into full flow, so yeah!**

**NOTE: ANYONE WAITING FOR AN UPDATE FOR THE BEST I EVER HAD, IT IS ALREADY WRITTEN BUT IS ON MY LAPTOP WHICH HAS DIED ON ME SO IT MAY TAKE A WHILE BUT IT WILL COME! **


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